After facing Leicester City at the King Power Stadium 13 days ago – where our win was more comfortable than the 2-1 result would suggest – tonight we welcome another team who were promoted to the top flight earlier this season.

The south coast game kicks off at 7:30pm and, like all Premier League games in this round, will be broadcast live in the UK on Prime Video.

It is promising for the Blues and Enzo Maresca that we have a good record against promoted teams: Since the start of the 2020/21 season, we have recorded eight wins in our 13 away games against top newcomers. Only one of these games ended in defeat.

Russell Martin’s side have the advantage that their draw against Brighton took place last Friday, which has allowed them two more days than the Blues to recover and prepare for today’s meeting.

In their last game at St Mary’s, Southampton saw off league leaders Liverpool hard before suffering a 3-2 defeat. This result meant that the bottom team in the league had only won one of their six home games in the league so far.

The south coast’s top flight includes three of Chelsea’s five most productive away league stadiums alongside Brighton and Bournemouth, although the Saints won both meetings in their last relegation season.

Sunday’s impressive win over Aston Villa strengthened the Blues’ claim to a top-four place, but Maresca has dampened talk of a title challenge. However, a win on the banks of the Itchen would move Chelsea into second place if Arsenal dropped points against Manchester United in north London on the same evening.

Chelsea team news

Maresca’s ability to put together squads will be tested in three Premier League games in eight days – so far he has rotated teams for various midweek and weekend competitions.

The Italian’s tactical versatility was evident in our successful 3-0 win on Sunday, when the Aston Villa players played man-to-man and Moises Caicedo moved into midfield at right-back.

The selection of Romeo Lavia, who joined the Blues from Southampton in the summer of 2023, helped free captain Enzo Fernandez, whose attacking numbers have skyrocketed since November with goals in consecutive league games and five assists on all fronts.

Villa were overwhelmed by Chelsea’s energy and organization and the Blues have now been beaten fewer times (104) than any other top team.

Today’s starting XI needs to be taken into account alongside our busy December schedule, which includes a trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Wesley Fofana will be sidelined with a hamstring injury against Villa and Maresca will have to decide who from Axel Disasi, Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoit Badiashile will make the team – unless there is another surprise.

After Sunday’s win, Maresca said the vision and creativity of Cole Palmer and Joao Felix were the reason people buy tickets. Whether he decides to use the duo in tandem remains to be seen.

Likewise, top scorer in all competitions Christopher Nkunku could be an option for Nicolas Jackson, who has recorded the most sprints (571) in the league this season but has scored six times for the Blues this season.

Combined goals and assists 2024/25 (all competitions)

Chelsea vs Southampton – the story

This league game was first played at The Dell on October 4, 1924, making its 100th anniversary two months ago.

The goalless clash in Division Two was almost uneventful apart from a superb save from Chelsea keeper Ben Howard Baker, who used his world record high jump skills to keep out a shot on goal.

Six decades later, in March 1986, a free-kick scored by skipper Colin Pates and brilliantly planned by Pat Nevin was enough to secure the points on the south coast and push John Hollins’ side into fourth place.

The game is better known because it took place the day before our 5-4 Full Members’ Cup final victory over Manchester City at Wembley, meaning the Londoners played on consecutive days – with ten players in the same one Starting XI

Even more notable was the Boxing Day clash 25 years ago, a 2-1 win for the Blues at The Dell when Chelsea became the first Premier League club to field a starting XI made up entirely of foreign players.

Frustratingly, the Saints beat the Blues home and away in the 2022/23 season, which saw them relegated from the top flight. That included our first defeat at this stadium since 2013 – a 2-1 defeat in which Lavia canceled out Raheem Sterling’s opener.

The Blues’ record win against the Saints came the season before, in April 2022 under Thomas Tuchel, a 6-0 win in which Marcos Alonso opened the floodgates in the eighth minute. Mason Mount and Timo Werner both doubled and Kai Havertz also scored – all before the 55th minute.

Do you know that…

This is Chelsea’s 50th league visit to Southampton. Our Southampton league win rate is 44.9% – our fifth best rate against current Premier League clubs behind Bournemouth (55.6%), Palace (59.3%), Fulham (61.5%) and Brighton ( 66.7%).

The Blues have won more Premier League games at Southampton (14) than anywhere other than Tottenham (15).

Chelsea used 28 outfield players in all competitions and 17 of them contributed to our goals or assists.

Cole Palmer scored his first 30 Premier League goals for us in just 46 games – only Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (41) was faster.

Levi Colwill has completed 973 passes in the top flight so far this season, behind only Virgil van Dijk (1050) and ahead of Saints pair Jan Bednarek (948) and Taylor Harwood-Bellis (900).

Chelsea have an identical league record to Arsenal and are in third place based solely on alphabetical order. Any of the Gunners’ previous names – Royal Arsenal, Woolwich Arsenal, even Dial Square – would have put us in second place.

West London-born former merchant seaman George Thomas, the builder and owner of the old Dell Stadium in Southampton, was also a founding director of Chelsea in 1905.

Nicolas Jackson and Pedro Neto have received four yellow cards in the Premier League and must avoid another up to and including Gameweek 19 at the end of December to avoid a legal ban.

Chelsea will determine our three group stage opponents for next summer’s FIFA Club World Cup on Thursday. The draw in Miami, USA, starts at 6pm UK time.