Southampton vs Chelsea. Premier League.
St. Mary's Stadium.
Kyle Walker-Peters is unavailable for Southampton; Tammy Abraham in contention for Chelsea but Thiago Silva out; follow Southampton vs Chelsea in our dedicated live match blog; watch highlights on Sky Sports digital platforms and Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after full-time
Saturday 20 February 2021 18:22, UK
Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Southampton vs Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday (kick-off 12.30pm).
Southampton will be without Kyle Walker-Peters for the visit of Chelsea on Saturday afternoon.
The right back limped off with a hamstring injury during last weekend's 2-1 defeat to Wolves after only recently returning to action from a similar issue. "Kyle Walker-Peters is out for a few weeks, maybe, and that definitely hurts us," acknowledged Ralph Hasenhuttl.
Walker-Peters isn't the only injury absentee for Southampton as Ibrahima Diallo and Theo Walcott are also unavailable.
Chelsea will face Southampton at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday, with Tammy Abraham back in the running to feature in the Premier League clash.
Brazil defender Thiago Silva will miss Saturday's lunchtime kick-off clash despite being back in training as he continues his recovery from a thigh issue.
Kai Havertz is back in training but Christian Pulisic is a doubt with a calf problem.
Follow Southampton vs Chelsea in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
Southampton have lost each of their last six Premier League games and the market has strongly sided with Thomas Tuchel's boys here, who have picked up 13 points from his first five Premier League games in charge.
Ralph Hasenhutt's team are running out of steam, for sure, but they remain capable of making life very difficult for any team that ventures onto their patch. In their four meetings at St Mary's with teams currently in the top six, they've beaten Liverpool, lost by just a single goal to Manchester City and Manchester United and drawn 0-0 with West Ham. A fast start will be absolutely crucial to their chances of getting a result - Southampton have scored the first goal in nine of their 11 home matches this season, so the 7/4 for them to score the first goal makes sense. I'll play the draw.
A betting angle to consider is Cesar Azpilicueta to pick up a booking - it's a bet I recommended with confidence against Newcastle but Allan Saint-Maximin never looked interested at testing the Spaniard one on one, avoiding being fouled when starting a Premier League game just for the third time since arriving in England.
Azpilicueta remains vulnerable to a team that like to play at a high tempo with the ball. He's been an ever-present for Tuchel in the Premier League on the right of a back three but is prone to a late challenge on a speedy opponent. Eberechi Eze, Ademola Lookman, Anwar El Ghazi and Son Heung-min have all got Azpilicueta booked this campaign. With Danny Ings, Nathan Redmond, Ryan Bertrand and Stuart Armstrong buzzing around him, another wild lunge surely awaits.
JONES KNOWS PREDICTS: 1-1
BETTING ANGLE: Cesar Azpilicueta to receive a card (4/1 with Sky Bet)