Chelsea vs Southampton preview, predictions and team news

Chelsea will be looking to string together back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since November when they face Southampton on Boxing Day.
The Blues have won just two of their past six games but their most recent performance led to a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in which Frank Lampard‘s side were on top throughout.
Southampton also returned to winning ways at the weekend, with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa helping Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men move out of the relegation zone at the expense of the Villans.
There is still room for improvement for Saints, however, and they will be hoping they face a Chelsea side similar to the one that was beaten by West Ham, Everton and Bournemouth recently.
Read on for our Chelsea vs Southampton preview, team news, TV coverage information and more.
When is Chelsea vs Southampton and where can I watch live?
Competition: Premier League
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Date: Thursday, 26 December 2019
Kick-off: 3:00 PM (UK time)
TV coverage (UK): The game is not available on traditional TV but can be live streamed on Amazon Prime.
Last five meetings: Chelsea vs Southampton
06 October 2019: Southampton 1-4 Chelsea (Premier League)
02 January 2019: Chelsea 0-0 Southampton (Premier League)
07 October 2018: Southampton 0-3 Chelsea (Premier League)
22 April 2018: Chelsea 2-0 Southampton (FA Cup)
14 April 2018: Southampton 2-3 Chelsea (Premier League)
Aggregate Score: Chelsea (WDWWW) 12-3 Southampton (LDLLL)
Ones to watch
Chelsea: Mason Mount
Mason Mount has come under a lot of criticism from Chelsea fans recently, with some not happy at his constant place in the Blues‘ side.
These groans only continued when the Chelsea XI to face Tottenham was announced on Sunday, but Mount proved just why Lampard has so much faith in him. The Englishman was excellent at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, constantly causing the home defence problems.
His passing was good, he continuously looked to run at Tottenham and linked up brilliantly with Willian and Tammy Abraham. His potential was also noted by N’Golo Kane post-match, who said: “Out of all the Chelsea players, one player who has the biggest potential is, Mason Mount.
“His combination play, his shooting technique, passing technique and how he sees the game. He could become a very good player.”
Mount is likely to start in a deeper role on Thursday with Mateo Kovacic suspended but he will still be expected to create.
Key stat: Only Willian (30) has created more chances in the Premier League this season than Mason Mount (17) among Chelsea players.
Southampton: Danny Ings
In recent weeks, a lot of the focus in the Premier League has been on Jamie Vardy leading the Premier League top scorers list. The Englishman scored in eight consecutive games before his streak ended against Norwich.
During that same period, Danny Ings scored in five consecutive games as Southampton started to fight back against a relegation that was beginning to look inevitable. Like Vardy, that run did end recently, but he made up for that with two strikes in Southampton’s 3-1 win over Aston Villa at the weekend, taking him into double figures for the season.
Although Chelsea did keep a clean sheet against Tottenham at the weekend, their defence is still susceptible to making mistakes and having scored in the 4-1 defeat earlier this season, Ings will be hopeful of striking again.
Key stat: Only Jamie Vardy (17) has scored more goals in the Premier League this season than Danny Ings (11).
Team news
Chelsea
Chelsea team news! 👊
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/iJe7bIb9Xh
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 26, 2019
Southampton
🚨 The teams are in 🚨
Here's the #SaintsFC side for today's meeting with #CFC: pic.twitter.com/FnTq0RQtSA
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) December 26, 2019
Odds (via Betway)
Chelsea to win: 2/5
Draw: 15/4
Southampton to win: 13/2
(Odds correct as of 26/12/2019 at 10:30)
Click here for full details of Betway’s Premier League markets.
Squawka prediction
Not many people would have backed Chelsea to beat Tottenham at the weekend, given their respective form, but Lampard‘s men were excellent. A mixture of youth and experience, the Blues looked eager to get one over former manager Mourinho.
However, the next big task for Chelsea is to ensure that win was not just a one-off in what has been an underwhelming period. The fact remains that they have won just two league games from their past five and have struggled in recent weeks against teams who are not in great form themselves.
Southampton, currently 17th, will take hope from that and, on the back of their own impressive win at the weekend, could move further away from the relegation battle with victory. Chelsea have dominated recent meetings between the two sides, with Southampton not winning since 2015, and it does look like that run will continue.