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Chelsea will take on Southampton at Stamford Bridge in a League Cup Round of 16 encounter on Tuesday night.
Chelsea knocked Norwich City into the middle of next week with a resounding 7-0 win at home on Saturday. They blew the Canaries away with Mason Mount scoring a hat-trick and Callum Hudson-Odoi, Reece James and Ben Chilwell getting on the scoresheet as well.
An own goal from Max Aarons added insult to injury as far as Norwich are concerned. The thumping win should come as a major warning sign for Southampton, who have not really got going in the new season.
Chelsea have won all of their last four matches across all competitions. They beat Southampton 3-1 when the two sides met in the Premier League in the first week of October.
Ralph Hassenhuttl's men settled for a 2-2 draw against Burnley on Saturday. The Saints sit 16th in the Premier League table right now. Their recent record doesn't inspire much confidence. Southampton needed penalties to win against Sheffield United in the third round of the League Cup.
In eight matches across all competitions since their 8-0 win over Newport County in the second round of the League Cup, Southampton have won just one game in normal time. They've played out four draws and lost twice in that time.
Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea are one of the most formidable defensive units in Europe right now. As such, Southampton will need to pull a rabbit out of their hat if they're to progress to the quarter-finals of the competition.
Chelsea vs Southampton Head-to-Head
Southampton have picked up just a single win in the last 10 meetings between the two sides. Chelsea have won six while three matches have ended as draws. The last time the two sides clashed was in the Premier League earlier this month when Chelsea won the game 3-1.
Chelsea form guide: L-W-W-W-W
Southampton form guide: W-L-L-W-D
Chelsea vs Southampton Team News
Chelsea
Romelu Lukaku and Christian Pulisic are sidelined with ankle injuries. Timo Werner is also out with a hamstring injury. The likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek might get to start the game here.
Injuries: Romelu Lukaku, Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner
Doubtful: None
Suspension: None
Southampton
Ralph Hassenhuttl doesn't have too many injury concerns and has a near full-strength squad to choose from. Jack Stephens is the only casualty as he is unavailable due to a hamstring problem. Che Adams is close to regaining full match fitness. But he is likely to come off the bench once again.
Injuries: Jack Stephens
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: None
Chelsea vs Southampton Predicted Lineups
Chelsea Predicted XI (3-4-3): Kepa Arrizabalaga; Trevor Chalobah, Andreas Christensen, Malang Sarr; Reece James, Saul Niguez, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ben Chilwell; Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz
Southampton Predicted XI (4-4-2): Fraser Forster; Kyle Walker-Peters, Mohammed Salisu, Jan Bednarek, Romain Perraud; James Ward-Prowse, Ibrahima Diallo; Mohamed Elyounoussi, Moussa Djenepo; Adam Armstrong, Armando Broja
Chelsea vs Southampton Prediction
Thomas Tuchel will rotate his squad but they still pack enough quality to get the better of Southampton. The Saints have been poor in attack this term and Chelsea are formidable at the back. It's just a matter of how well the Blues' makeshift attack will work against an ordinary Southampton defence.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Southampton
