2 years ago
Southampton vs. Chelsea - Preview , available players,prediction, missing players, team news, kick - off time
Chelsea will look to avoid a third straight defeat in all competitions when they travel to St Mary's to face Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday.
In midweek, Thomas Tuchel's side were defeated 3-1 by Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, while the Saints most recently drew 1-1 with Leeds United.
While Valentino Livramento will relish the opportunity to show off his skills against his former club, Southampton will be without Blues loanee Armando Broja for the clash with his parent club.
The Saints have no new injury concerns, with Lyanco still out and Alex McCarthy attempting to return from a thigh injury, but Fraser Forster's spot is not in jeopardy.
Due to Broja's form, Adam Armstrong has been relegated to the bench more often than not, but he should be able to rejoin the attack alongside Che Adams, while Stuart Armstrong will also be vying for a place in the starting XI.
Meanwhile, Chelsea is still missing long-term ACL absentees Ben Chilwell and Callum Hudson-Odoi, the latter of whom is racing against the clock to recover from Achilles and back problems in time for Saturday.
Tuchel did not report any new concerns following the first-leg loss to Real Madrid, but the quick turnaround and manner of defeat will almost certainly result in some changes, with Thiago Silva potentially being rested ahead of the trip to Madrid.
Marcos Alonso, Mateo Kovacic, and Hakim Ziyech are all contenders for a return to the first team XI, While big-game player Havertz could be saved for the Bernabeu trip, Romelu Lukaku could get a rare start.
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Forster; Livramento, Salisu, Bednarek, Walker-Peters; Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Diallo; S. Armstrong; Adams, A. Armstrong
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Mendy; Christensen, Chalobah, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Kovacic, Jorginho, Alonso; Ziyech, Lukaku, Pulisic
PREDICTION : Southampton 1-3 Chelsea
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