Prediction & odds for the game: Chelsea (1/3) v Southampton (8/1)
When: Thursday, 26th December 2019 @ 3pm K.O
Where: Stamford Bridge
Boxing Day football will descend upon Stamford Bridge where Chelsea will go head to head with Southampton.
Chelsea
The Blues have been up, they’ve been down, and they’ve been back up again, and that’s all been during the brief reign of Frank Lampard. The former midfielder has been able to guide his club towards some great results so far this season, and it truly does feel like this is only the beginning for them. Maintaining their consistency has obviously been a big issue but when you look at the bigger picture, it’s easy to see that the future is brighter than it has been in a while – and we aren’t just talking about the next six months.
A win then a loss and a win then another loss isn’t the right way to go about settling your fanbase, and yet, here we are. Chelsea have sustained odd losses to West Ham, Everton and Bournemouth as of yet whilst simultaneously beating Tottenham, Lille and Aston Villa.
Southampton
They’re still lingering in and around the relegation zone, but the Saints are still in a fairly decent position to kick on and really make the most of their campaign. They have a series of players within their squad that are starting to really hit the high points, and that didn’t seem likely at all not so long ago. They still need a little bit more quality in their ranks to sustain this from now until May, but it’s a start, and it’s what many Saints fans will continue to hold onto.
Back to back defeats against West Ham and Newcastle certainly hurt Southampton, but three wins in five against Aston Villa, Norwich and Watford served as undeniable proof that they won’t give up without a fight. They also picked up a nice point against Arsenal at the Emirates back in late November.
Conclusion
These two sides are in very different positions in the table, but in terms of this game, we think it’s going to be much more even than their previous encounter earlier on this season. We can see the Saints coming forward with a bit less fear than they have done in the past, and with more intent, too. However, we still believe the Blues are going to come away with the three points. Frank Lampard’s men are just too strong and they’ll continue to prove that as the season goes on.
We can see both teams playing with a fairly fast and loose style, here, which is why we’re going to back the over 2.5 goals threshold – because let’s face it, we’re all hoping for some wonder strikes.
Verdict: Back the home win at odds of 1/3 and the over 2.5 goals scored at odds of 1/2. (All odds are taken from bet365).
[geosnippet id=3620]You can bet on Chelsea v Southampton at the betting page or you can do the very same thing for some other fixtures at the soccer predictions page.
