Chelsea vs Southampton team news
Defender Trevor Chalobah will not feature for Chelsea after being forced off during their 2-1 Premier League defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday.
Injuries to forwards Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu saw Maresca move Pedro Neto into attack at Villa Park, and the winger set up Enzo Fernandez’s opener.
“It could be a good option for us,” reflected Maresca. “We tried [that position] with Pedro days before the game and we saw he could do that. It was positive.
“The performance in general was positive. Enzo was fantastic. Reece [James, who played a rare 90 minutes] struggled in some moments, but it’s normal.”
Juric says Jan Bednarek will miss out with a knock he sustained against Brighton, but fellow defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis could return and Juric says Flynn Downes will play.
On-loan midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu is ineligible to face his parent club and midfielders Adam Lallana and Ryan Fraser are injured.
January signing Welington has started on the left but been substituted at half-time in both of Southampton’s last two matches.
“He has to acclimatise,” Juric said of the Brazilian. “He has to be ready for this kind of football. It’s much faster than in Brazil and there [are moments] when the other players are faster.”
Chelsea vs Southampton lineups
Chelsea starting XI: Jorgensen, Acheampong, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Dewsbury-Hall, Palmer, Fernandez, George, Neto
Southampton starting XI: Ramsdale, Bree, Bella-Kotchap, Aribo, Walker-Peters, Smallone, Fernandes, Downes, Dibling, Archer, Sulemana
How to watch Chelsea vs Southampton: TV channel, live online stream
Kick-off is at 20:15 UK time, with live coverage on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate commencing at 18:30.
Chelsea vs Southampton stats
In 13 of the last 15 Chelsea home matches the sum of goals was over 2.5In the last 7 Chelsea matches the sum of goals was over 2.5In the last 6 Chelsea home matches in the Premier League, the sum of goals was over 2.5In the last 5 Chelsea matches in the Premier League, the sum of goals was over 2.5Chelsea have won 6 of the last 8 home matches and the sum of goals was over 2.5In the last 6 Southampton matches in the Premier League, the sum of goals was over 2.5In 7 of the last 8 Southampton matches the sum of goals was over 2.5Southampton have lost 5 of the last 6 matches in the Premier League and the sum of goals was over 2.5In the last 4 Southampton away matches the sum of goals was over 2.5In the last 4 Southampton away matches in the Premier League, the sum of goals was over 2.5
Chelsea vs Southampton prediction
Chelsea’s uncertain form since late December has still seen them go unbeaten at home in 2025 and they are unlikely to drop points against opponents already planning for next season.
Southampton might have been expected to benefit from a lack of pressure in recent games, but they fell 2-0 behind inside 17 minutes against Bournemouth and could have lost more heavily against Brighton, absorbing 18 shots and 12 on target.
An inspired display by Aaron Ramsdale helped keep the score down, and the visiting goalkeeper is likely to be busy again as Chelsea bid to go fourth.
Maresca’s players also have the incentive of ensuring the clubs below them do not make up more ground in the race for European qualification.
Eighth-placed Aston Villa could leapfrog them if they fail to win, while Brighton and Fulham could also moved within overtaking range.
Stats experts Opta justifiably give Chelsea more than a 75% chance of winning, and they can be expected to triumph 2-0 in a fixture they won 5-1 on December 4.
