Chelsea v Southampton: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Chelsea have lost three of their last four Premier League matches, but they are hot favourites to beat bottom club Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

Chelsea v Southampton betting tips and predictions

Chelsea to win 4-1 @ 14/1

Chelsea's owners are not renowned for their patience with managers, so Blues boss Enzo Maresca may be feeling the heat after a run of four defeats in five matches.

All four of those reverses came away from home and facing the Premier League's bottom club Southampton at Stamford Bridge looks like an ideal opportunity for Chelsea to claim a morale-boosting win.

A 3-1 defeat at Manchester City was followed by FA Cup and league reverses at Brighton, while Maresca's men lost 2-1 at Aston Villa last weekend.

Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen should have kept out Marco Asensio's 89th-minute winner for Villa, who are just one point behind the Blues in the battle for UEFA Champions League qualification.

The good news for the hosts is that they are taking on the weakest team in the division and they have a strong record against the sides towards the bottom of the table.

The Blues have already completed league doubles over West Ham and Wolves, scoring 14 goals in those four victories, and they hammered Southampton 5-1 at St Mary's in December.

The Londoners have gone off the boil since then, with star man Cole Palmer enduring a five-match run without a goal, but Saints have shown few signs of improvement since Ivan Juric replaced Russell Martin in the dugout.

Both clubs have been hampered by individual goalkeeping and defensive errors this season and it may be worth chancing a 4-1 Chelsea win in the correct-score market.

Saints have lost eight of their last nine league games and the only respite came in a 2-1 win at fellow strugglers Ipswich Town on 1st February.

They were swiftly brought back down to earth, losing 3-1 to Bournemouth and 4-0 to Brighton at St Mary's, and their visit to Stamford Bridge may well revitalise Chelsea's attacking players.

Enzo Fernandez to score or assist a goal @ 10/11

Enzo Fernandez was one of Chelsea's brightest sparks in the defeat at Villa Park, opening the scoring in the ninth minute and racking up four shots at goal.

Fernandez has been given more licence to get forward under Maresca and he has provided four goals and four assists in 20 league starts this season.

He looks well worth backing to register another goal contribution against a lacklustre visitors' defence who have conceded 61 times in 26 matches.

Fernandez set up Axel Disasi's seventh-minute opener in the 5-1 win at St Mary's and claimed a hat-trick of assists in an early-season UEFA Conference League drubbing of Noah. 

The Argentina World Cup winner has played the full 90 minutes in each of his last 14 league appearances, having 27 shots during that run, so should pose a major threat to the visitors.

Mateus Fernandes to be booked @ 2/1

Southampton may be forced into a midfield reshuffle as Chelsea loanee Lesley Ugochukwu is unable to face his parent club and Will Smallbone is still short of match fitness after an injury lay-off.

Whoever plays in the centre of the park can expect a busy shift against a Chelsea side who are still in the hunt for a top-four finish and youngster Mateus Fernandes is a good bet to be cautioned.

Fernandes was booked six times in 25 Primeira Liga starts for Estoril last season and he has collected seven yellow cards in 1,925 minutes of Premier League action for the Saints.

Two of those bookings came in recent away trips to Crystal Palace and Manchester United and he was the only player on either team cautioned in last month's 3-1 home defeat to Newcastle United.

Read more football betting tips and predictions on site

Chelsea v Southampton odds

Chelsea - 2/9
Draw - 6/1
Southampton - 10/1

View the full market and more odds for Chelsea v Southampton on site

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.