We have a mini midweek section of matches in the Premier League this week as teams who were in the FA Cup semi-finals at the weekend catch up with matches they have missed out on. They all begin on Tuesday evening when the leaders Chelsea host a Southampton side who have enjoyed a cup run themselves this season.
Chelsea go into the match as the league leaders by four points and they can extend their advantage to seven points for 24hrs at least with a win while Southampton will be out for a big scalp in a match that has no implications for them.
Chelsea
I’m not sure whether Chelsea would have needed a boost after their defeat at Old Trafford in their last league match but if they did it came in the form of a win in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday. They went head to head with Tottenham and came out on top and the squad should be buzzing after securing a place in the cup final.
Chelsea showed all of their attacking intent and quality in that match which will serve them well for the run in but there are signs that their previously extremely tight defence is starting to leak more than Antonio Conte would like so that is something that might need addressing sooner rather than later.
Southampton
In many ways the season ended for Southampton at Wembley when they lost the EFL Cup final to Manchester United. That ended any competitive element to their campaign but to be fair to them they head into this match with four wins from their last seven matches with just two defeats – to Man City and to Tottenham.
There is no harm in that whatsoever and with little to play for in this match we might see them come out and have a go especially with Chelsea looking vulnerable defensively. While a win here would mean little in the overall scheme of things it is always nice to beat the likely champions especially on their own patch.
Team News
Diego Costa and Eden Hazard were rested from the starting XI at Wembley but both are likely to return here. Gary Cahill is over an illness and he is set to come back into the side too.
Oriel Romeu has completed a suspension and is likely to return to face his old side but Sam McQueen is set to miss out. Charlie Austin is due to return to training soon but this game is far too soon for him.
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Betting
Chelsea are pretty short for this match but only Liverpool and Crystal Palace have taken points away from Stamford Bridge this season so you can see why that is the case. That said Southampton have had a while to prepare for this one so short prices and handicaps on the home side don’t really interest me.
I think there will be goals in this match. We can’t ignore the fact that Chelsea are starting to leak goals. It is now three months since they have kept a clean sheet in the league and they’ve conceded four in their last two matches. Southampton have goals in them but they’ll do well to keep Chelsea at bay. Over 2.5 goals looks a very solid bet to me.
Tips
WON – Back Over 2.5 goals for a 4/10 stake at 1.80 with Betfred
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