Premier League preview and odds: Southampton vs Chelsea

Published on: 26/02/2016

Premier League preview and odds: Southampton vs Chelsea

February 27, 2016 15:00pm - St Mary`s Stadium

Premier League

Southampton will be hoping to continue their assault on the European qualification places on Saturday, when they welcome a resurgent Chelsea side to St Mary`s Stadium in the Barclays Premier League.

Saints eyeing top-five finish

It has been an up and down season for Southampton fans but right now, they are definitely on the up. An unbeaten run, featuring five wins and a draw, has lifted the South Coast side back into the top half of the table, and put them in contention for European qualification.

On home soil, the Saints have won four on the trot and scored 10 goals without reply. In total, they have gone a remarkable six games without conceding a goal.

They come into this game on the back of a 1-0 win away to Swansea City. That was their third 1-0 win in the last four games - the other result being a 0-0 draw at Arsenal.

Chelsea still unbeaten under Hiddink

Gus Hiddink has yet to lose a Premier League game during his second spell as Chelsea boss. As a result, the Blues have pulled themselves away from the relegation zone and are now residing in the relative safety of mid-table.

The Londoners have gone 10 games unbeaten and have not conceded a goal in their last four away matches. Based on current form over the last eight games, Chelsea have the fifth-best record in the league.

Last time out, they cruised to a 5-1 home win against Newcastle United. Prior to that, they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Manchester United.

Team news

The home side will be without Jay Rodriguez (ankle) and Florin Gardos (knee).

Meanwhile, John Terry has a slim chance of returning for the visitors after a spell out with a hamstring injury - however, the Blues will continue without Kurt Zouma and Radamel Falcao.

Recent form (League)

Southampton: WWDWW

Chelsea: WDDWD

Betting odds and tips

Both sides are enjoying unbeaten spells and both have been strong defensively in recent games, having not conceding a goal in their last four respective home and away games.

You can back Under 2.5 Goals at 7/10 with Bet365.

By Neil Morris

Published on: 26/02/2016

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (26/02/2016 15:18:07) but are subject to change.