Chelsea will take on Southampton as they welcome them to Stamford Bridge on Saturday looking to grab all three points in this league contest. The Blues will come into the match on the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat against Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, so they will be eager to return to winning ways in this home encounter.
Graham Potter would use the 4-2-3-1 formation and is expected to make a few changes to the starting XI. Marc Cucurella should play from the start as Ben Chilwell drops to the bench while Kai Havertz leads the line for the West London club.
4-2-3-1 Chelsea Predicted XI Vs Southampton
Defence
Kepa Arrizabalaga will continue to operate in between the sticks for the Blues hoping to secure a clean sheet in this weekend’s contest. Potter will allow Kalidou Koulibaly to form the customary centre-half partnership with Thiago Silva at the heart of the Blues backline, as they try to keep things solid on the defensive end of the field throughout the game.
Marc Cucurella and Reece James will take up the right and left back positions. They will get the licences to go forward but will be asked to keep their shape defensively.
Midfield
Enzo Fernandes and Ruben Loftus-Cheek will anchor the midfield for the Blues as they look to dominate possession at the centre of the park and engineer some decent chances in the final third.
The talented trio of Mykhaylo Mudryk, Joao Felix and Hakim Ziyech will operate just ahead of the holding positions as they look to create some inviting chances in front of the goal.
Noni Madueke and Mason Mount might come on in the second half to impact the game if Potter decides to call upon their services.
Attack
As mentioned earlier, Kai Havertz will continue to spearhead the West London club’s attack up top. He will have to find a way to cause a few headaches for the opposition centre-backs this weekend.
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang will take a spot on the bench looking to provide cover in the final third.
