Chelsea's 1-2 loss to Aston Villa last weekend saw them drop to 7th in the table. Enzo Maresca's side have won just two of their last 10 games. This series of Chelsea's decline has also been associated with a period when Cole Palmer did not play as well as usual.
This round, Chelsea will meet bottom-placed Southampton. More than ever, Chelsea expect Palmer to shine to help the team win all 3 points.
Since arriving at Stamford Bridge in September 2023, Cole Palmer has emerged as one of the Premier League's best young players with an impressive record of 39 goals and 21 assists in 74 games.
However, Chelsea's number 1 star is in decline. Palmer last scored for Chelsea on 14 January and his final assist was on 1 December, a significant decline compared to 14 goals and 6 assists in the early stages of the season.
If Chelsea are to stop their decline and maintain their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, they need to make the most of Palmer's ability once again. All statistics are in favor of the home team and Cole Palmer will have a successful match against Southampton.
Chelsea have scored eight goals and provided four assists in 12 appearances at Stamford Bridge this season. Southampton's poor away record also gives Palmer a chance to shine. They have only kept a clean sheet once in 13 away matches since the beginning of the season, conceding 24 goals.
According to Opta's forecast, Chelsea is considered the team with the highest chance of winning round 13 of the Premier League. Accordingly, Enzo Maresca's team has a 78.8% chance of winning all 3 points, while Southampton's probability of winning is only 8.3%.
Chelsea have lost their last two Premier League games against Aston Villa and Brighton. However, the Stamford Bridge side have won 11 of their last 14 league games against bottom-placed sides.
The Blues (Cels' nickname) have lost 2/3 of their most recent matches against Southampton, but in the first leg of this season, Chelsea won 5-1 away. In addition, since the beginning of the season, Southampton have only won 2 matches, drawn 3 matches and lost 21 matches. With such poor form, Southampton will find it difficult to create a surprise against Cole Palmer and his teammates.
The Chelsea vs Southampton match will take place at 3:15 a.m. on February 26.
