Southampton – Chelsea Prediction & Picks (14.04.2018)

Southampton and Chelsea meet at St. Mary’s Stadium, in a match for the 34 th round of the Premier League. Chelsea won at home (1-0) the last time they met in this edition of the league, on 12-16-2017. In this stadium, the history of direct confrontations is favorable to the visiting team, which records 3 wins and 1 draw in the last 4 matches. In fact, the last time these two teams played a match at this stadium was on 10-30-2016, for the Premier League, which ended Chelsea’s victory by (0-2). The goals of the match were scored by E. Hazard (6 ‘) and Diego Costa (55’) for Chelsea. In this game the home factor may be decisive, since both teams present considerable differences in the results achieved at home and as a visitor.

Southampton:

The home team is currently in the 17 th position of the league, with 31 points won, after 5 wins, 13 draws and 14 losses. In the penultimate match, they lost in an away match against West Ham United, by (3-0). In the last match, they lost in an away match against Arsenal, by (3-2). This is a team that usually gets better results in away matches than at home, since in the last 30 matches they register 4 wins, 4 draws and 7 losses in away matches, with 17 goals scored and 27 conceded; against 3 wins, 6 draws and 6 losses at their stadium, with 14 goals scored and 19 conceded. In the last 10 home league matches Southampton has a record of 1 win, 5 draws and 4 losses, so they have won 8 points out of 30 possible.

For this competition, they have not won any of the last 8 home matches. The team allowed goals to the opponent in 9 of the last 10 matches for this competition, so it has not been very strong defensively. In their home matches there is a tendency for few goals, since 11 of the last 16 matches for this competition have ended with Under 2,5 goals. In 32 matches in the competition, they suffered the first goal 17 times and only managed 1 comeback.

Southampton comes to this game with a defeat in the field of Arsenal, 3-2, adding the third consecutive snub in the championship. We remember that the landlords are desperately following the descent zone and only the three points can improve their situation. The team led by Mark Hughes exhibits several flaws in his style of play, especially in the defensive sector: set pieces and defensive transition. By facing a team of superior quality, Southampton must present itself with a more cautious strategy, exploring only the counterattacks. Charlie Austin is the best score of Southampton in the Premier League, with 7 goals scored. For this game the home coach does not have McQueen and Davis, injured, in addition to Stephens, which is suspended.

Chelsea:

The away team is currently in the 5 th position of the league, with 57 points won, after 17 wins, 6 draws and 9 losses. In the penultimate match, they lost in a home match against Tottenham Hotspur, by (1-3). In the last match, they tied in a home match against West Ham United, by (1-1). This is a team that usually makes good use of the home advantage, stronger with the help of its supporters, since in the last 30 matches they register 4 wins, 5 draws and 6 losses in away matches, with 22 goals scored and 18 conceded; against 8 wins, 5 draws and 2 losses at their stadium, with 26 goals scored and 11 conceded. In their last away game, for the FA Cup, they won by (1-2), at the end of the extra time, against Leicester City. In the last 10 away matches for the championship, Chelsea have 3 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses, so they have won 12 points out of 30 possible. The team has conceded goals in 7 of the last 10 matches, so it has not presented great defensive solidity, but their offense has scored consistently, as they have scored goals in 7 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In their home matches there is a tendency for goals, since 10 of the last 15 matches for this competition have ended with Over 2,5 goals. In 32 matches in this tournament, he suffered the first goal 10 times and only managed 1 comeback. In the last 15 home matches for this competition there is 1 period that stands out: they have conceded 6 of their 16 goals between minutes (76′-90 ‘).

Chelsea leaves for this game with a draw to a ball against West Ham, adding the following encounter without winning the championship. Due to this less positive phase, Chelsea has seen Arsenal approach the fifth position, which gives access to the Europa League. In this away game, coach Antonio Conte must keep the team in 4-3-3, privileging possession of the ball and organized attacks through the flanks: Willian is a very fast and strong player in the offensive transition. When observing the individual performance of each player it is possible to verify that the Spaniard Álvaro Morata is the great highlight of Chelsea, with 11 goals and 6 assists. For this game the coach can not count on Zappacosta and David Luiz, both injured.