A dismal showing in midweek heaped more pressure on a struggling Chelsea side that welcomes Southampton to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

The Blues are currently 14th in the league table and scraped a 2-2 draw with Newcastle thanks to a late double salvo last weekend while Southampton have moved up to 10th after breezing past a strong Swansea side by a score of 3-1.

Team News

Chelsea: Although it's been rough start to the new campaign for the champions, Chelsea have a short injury list heading into the weekend with just first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois ruled out through injury and he isn't set to return until December due to his knee injury. Diego Costa is out as he serves the final game of a three-match ban he picked up against Arsenal.

Injuries haven't been the cause of Chelsea's start as the form of their best players as been far below par. Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic were relegated to the bench for the Champions League game while John Terry has been an unused sub since the loss to Everton in mid-September.  

Branislav Ivanovic has come under heavy criticism this season for his performances and will be hoping to turn things around before he loses his place in the team.

Projected XI: Begovic; Azpilicueta, Zouma, Terry (c), Baba Rahman; Matic, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Falcao.

Southampton: The Saints began the season in disappointing fashion but a recent resurgance has seen Ronald Koeman's side climb to 10th in the league. They could be set to bring back Jordy Clasie from injury after the Dutchman missed a few weeks with an ankle problem. 

On the other hand, Florin Gardos and Fraser Forster are expected to miss the majority of the season with knee injuries, dealing a major blow to the squad. Graziano Pelle has four goals in the first seven games and will be hoping to add to his tally at Stamford Bridge.

Projected XI: Stekelenburg; Cedric, Fonte, Yoshida, Bertrand; Davis, Ward-Prowse, Wanyama; Mane, Tadic, Pelle.

Background

Both meetings between the two sides finished deadlocked at 1-1 last season.

Ryan Bertrand, who joined Southampton from the Blues in February, will likely line up against his old club, whom he won the Champions League with in 2012.

The fixture is evenly split over the last three season with both teams winning two of the seven meetings each while the other three ended in draws.

Players to watch

Eden Hazard: The Belgian looks a shadow of the player that won Player of the Year last season but for anyone that has watched him, we know he can flip his form in an instant. With just one assist to his name this season, Hazard will be desparate to put in a stellar performance against Southampton.

Graziano Pelle: Four goals in his first seven games this season proves that Pelle can cause defences trouble. The 30-year old thrived in his first year in England last season and looks to be continuing his fine form. Look for his size and strength to be a nuisance for Jose Mourinho's centre-back pairing.

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About the author
Harry  Harris
Covering the Premier League, Bundesliga and NFL. Writing for VAVEL since May 2014. Chelsea FC and Atlanta sports.