Chelsea FC vs Southampton: Thoughts And Prediction

After a heart-wrenching Champions League exit this week, Chelsea FC need to bounce back when they host Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

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This could turn out to be the fixture which decides who wins the Premier League trophy. Failure to claim three points could have an extremely negative impact on the Blues, but a win could solidify their place at the top.

The two clubs have equally important objectives. Chelsea are in pole position to win their first League trophy since 2010-2011, while the Saints are trying to break Premier League top four tradition and march into the Champions League.

A win for either side would help those ambitions massively. With the Blues now only focused on one competition, they have no excuse not to win it. The treble has escaped, but the double is very possible — especially if Manchester City can survive the Camp Nou.

Blues goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has sent out a warning to all title contenders. While he bemoans the fact that Chelsea are no longer in the Champions League, he vows that his team will do whatever it takes to win the Premier League.

"“It’s annoying because we are used to having three matches a week and now we will just have one but, okay, now we can put all our concentration into trying to win the Premier League.”“We are five points ahead and we will do everything to win it. It will be hard, we are disappointed now but there is another great trophy to win this season and we want to do that.”-Thibaut CourtoisSource: Express"

The last time these two teams met, goals from Sadio Mane and Eden Hazard made it a 1-1 draw. Jose Mourinho had every reason to feel hard-done-by after the referee wrongly booked Cesc Fabregas for diving, although he was clearly brought down in the box.

Saints boss Ronald Koeman has worked wonders since taking over from Mauricio Pochettino. He kept his team in the top four for a good few weeks, but they have since dropped down to seventh. Even so, they are only four points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, and a good run could see them return.

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Nemanja Matic hobbled off the field in the final minutes of the 90 on Wednesday, but he seems to be okay to play on Sunday. John Obi Mikel (knee) will be unavailable until next month.

The Saints will be without Jay Rodriguez (ACL) and Emmanuel Mayuka (groin).

Prediction

The Saints haven’t been as good as they were at the beginning of the season, but then again, neither have Chelsea.

Diego Costa hasn’t scored since January 17th, while Fabregas hasn’t recorded an assist in that period either. Worrying signs? Maybe, maybe not. In the six games which Costa has gone without scoring, the Blues haven’t lost, and they were all tough fixtures — including matches vs Liverpool, Tottenham and West Ham.

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It would be great to see the Spanish internationals get back to business, but other players, such as John Terry, Eden Hazard and Branislav Ivanovic have been helping with the scoring.

Southampton have only won two games from their last six, and will be hoping to improve on results. This is a very big match for both teams, and they will both have a go at the other.

Very hard to call, and albeit Chelsea have had difficulties keeping a lead this season, I think they could nick a victory by a one-goal margin.

Final Score: Chelsea – 1, Southampton – 0

We Are Hooligans Predictions

Southampton will need points from this match if they are to remain in the champions league race. 2-2 draw – Robert Molnar

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