The pressure is officially on Chelsea. The Blues are still fairly clear in the Premier League on Tottenham, but the way the Spurs are playing, that margin of four points could disappear in a hurry. Chelsea's 33rd duel of the season comes against Southampton on Tuesday, and if this match is won, you'd like to think that the pressure will be back on the Spurs, who play at Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
This EPL duel will go down Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at 2:45 p.m. ET at Stamford Bridge. The match will be televised live on NBC Sports Network.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Chelsea -230
Southampton +700
Draw +365
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
The Blues haven't been playing their best ball in recent weeks, particularly on the defensive side of the pitch. That said, they're still -230 on the moneyline and are favored by a goal and a half on the Asian Handicap here against a Southampton team without really much to play for at this point. Sure, the Saints are only nine points clear of the relegation zone, but they're in ninth place with three matches in hand over the Swans. That's about as safe as safe gets.
Key Injuries
Gary Cahill was surprisingly hospitalized just before the FA Cup semi against Tottenham over the weekend. Whether he'll be ready to go on Tuesday is a different story. The good news for the Blues is that Thibaut Courtois, who was held out against Manchester United two weeks ago, is back in the saddle and ready to play a big match against Southampton.
Southampton is playing without Charlie Austin thanks to a shoulder injury, and he joins a number of long-term absentees, including Alex McCarthy, Matt Targett, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahim Afellay.
Recent Form
It's hard to say that Chelsea is really "struggling" right now. You're basically supposed to lose at Old Trafford against Manchester United, and that's the only blemish since that odd 2-1 loss at home against Crystal Palace on April Fools' Day. That said, the real concern here is the fact that Courtois and the Chelsea defense have conceded at least one goal in six straight matches and 11 out of 14 after fairly clearly having the most impenetrable defense in the Premier League around the holidays.
Southampton was off over the weekend and had a few more days to prepare for this match. It's a good thing, too. The Saints were awful in their last match against Manchester City, a 3-0 loss at St. Mary's Stadium that had manager Claude Puel blasting his team. The Saints had picked up at least a point in three fixtures in a row, including wins over West Brom and Crystal Palace. But this shouldn't be a real surprise. Southampton is four straight across all competitions against the Top 6.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Southampton doesn't have a man on the roster with more than six goals on the season, and unlike some of the clubs who have given the Blues some pains in the recent past, there isn't that elite scorer who can open things up.
Chelsea is going to get a chance to play the match it wants to play here at home, and we think it'll get back on track as a result. You can bet that the importance of this match won't be lost on this squad with the way that Antonio Conte has killed off Serie A titles with Juventus in the past, and he'll get the most out of a team that should be at full strength aside from potentially Cahill, who truly has been disappointing in the back three at times of late anyway. We'll fancy the Blues to get back on track with a couple early strikes to restore the lead in the EPL to seven.
EPL Odds: Chelsea 2, Southampton 0
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