Overview
Southampton are very close to being relegated in the Premier League 2024-2025. They have only 9 points after 27 matches with a gap of 13 points compared to a safe position.
With their form hitting rock bottom with the worst defense in the league with 61 goals conceded, the most optimistic people do not dare to think about the scenario of Southampton successfully staying in the league this season.
Meanwhile, Chelsea's crisis shows no signs of stopping. They have lost 2 consecutive matches in the Premier League and if counting from the beginning of 2025, The Blues have only 8 points out of a total of 18 maximum points. Poor results have caused Chelsea to drop to 7th in the rankings and could lose their ticket to the Champions League next season.
In that losing streak, Chelsea have faced too many problems. Key injuries and too many mistakes in defence have prevented Chelsea from creating the necessary solidity.
Up front, many of the Blues' players have also declined in form, including star Cole Palmer. Coach Enzo Maresca has experimented with many options, but has not found a solution to save the situation.
In that context, only having to face Southampton is an opportunity for Chelsea to regain their spirit. Despite going through a series of poor performances, The Blues are much better than their opponents in terms of quality personnel and have the advantage of playing at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea are unlikely to repeat the 5-1 win like in the first leg, but they will know how to defeat their opponents at the moment.
Chelsea dominated when it came to head-to-head record between the two sides, winning 50 of their 111 meetings. The Blues beat The Saints 5-1 at St Mary's in the first leg of this season.
Personnel situation
Trevoh Chalobah will have to miss the match after leaving the field early due to a back injury in the away match against Aston Villa. Meanwhile, captain Reece James is unlikely to start in 2 consecutive matches in just 3 days.
On the other side of the front line, Jan Bednarek had to leave the field due to injury in the match against Brighton. Therefore, The Saints captain Jack Stephens could be brought back to the starting lineup.
Expected lineup:
Chelsea: Jorgensen, gust, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella, Dewsbury-Hall, Caicedo, Palmer, Fernandez, Sancho, Neto.
Southampton: Ramsdale, Aribo, Bella-Kotchap, Bree, Sugawara, Gronbaek, Smallbone, Walker-Peters, Fernandes, Dibling, Sulemana.
The match between Chelsea and Southampton takes place at 3:15 am on February 26 (Vietnam time).
