The pressure continues to grow on Graham Potter, as the Blues have now gone four games across all competitions without a victory. Chelsea was beaten 1-0 by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League in midweek, and it’s looking extremely likely that they won’t have any European commitments next season as they sit tenth in the standings.
The second half of the campaign will be all about survival for Southampton. They come into this fixture on the road without a manager in place following the dismissal of Nathan Jones. The Chelsea odds will see them as favorites, but you can find out EPL picks for today’s soccer matches here.
Chelsea vs. Southampton Odds
The hosts will be the commanding favorites in the Chelsea vs. Southampton odds this weekend. Chelsea is currently available at -250, while a victory for the Saints is a long shot at +750. The draw this weekend is +375.
Over 2.5 goals will be among the popular selections in the soccer betting markets this weekend, and that is available at -110. However, both soccer teams to score is unfancied at +120.
Chelsea vs. Southampton Matchup Information
Chelsea vs Southampton
Location of the Game: Stamford Bridge, London, England.
Date and Time: Saturday, February 18, 2023. 10:00 AM ET.
How To Watch: NBC Sports
Chelsea vs. Southampton Betting Preview
Chelsea
Despite spending over half a billion dollars since the arrival of Todd Boehly, Chelsea isn’t looking anywhere near a better side than they were 12 months ago.
The Blues come into this fixture battling for a top-half finish. 12 months ago, they were comfortably in a Champions League spot. Chelsea has gone three without a win in the Premier League, while they have picked up just a single victory from their previous six.
It’s likely that even more investment will be made in the summer, as the Blues are still lacking in the final third despite the additions of Joao Felix, Noni Madueke, and Mykhailo Mudryk. So far this season, the Blues have netted just 23 goals. Meanwhile, in 2023, games involving Chelsea have only seen nine goals scored. Only games involving Fulham and Newcastle have seen fewer goals recorded.
Potter will once again need to deal with injury issues ahead of this fixture. Meanwhile, Benjamin Chilwell picked up a knock in midweek. Also, N’Golo Kante, Raheem Sterling, and Christian Pulisic all remain out.
Southampton
It only seemed a matter of time before Nathan Jones was given his marching orders at St Mary’s, as things haven’t improved since his arrival at the club. If anything, they have got worse, with the Saints now sitting bottom of the Premier League standings. Therefore, it’s unsurprising that the traveling side will be unfancied in the Chelsea vs. Southampton odds this weekend.
The Saints have won a joint-league low of four games from 22 this term, while they have scored just 18 goals and allowed 40. They also come into this fixture having lost each of their previous three matches in the Premier League. The last of this proved to be a damaging home loss against fellow relegation strugglers Wolves. But, there is a reason for optimism before making Southampton picks this weekend, as the Saints recorded a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture.
However, the Saints haven’t won back-to-back games against Chelsea since December 1993. They will also be looking for a first league double since the 1987-88 season. Ruben Selles takes charge of the team this weekend, but he will be without influential players in the forms of Kyle Walker-Peters and Moussa Djenepo.
Chelsea vs. Southampton Betting Picks
Despite the hosts being overwhelming favorites in the Chelsea vs. Southampton odds, this remains a very tricky game to call. Something seems amiss at the Blues this term, and the fact that they don’t score many goals is a huge concern. The Saints could also perform better following the dismissal of Jones, who was reportedly un-liked by players in the changing room.
Therefore, a very big chance will be taken on Southampton on the spread this weekend. While under 2.5 goals always looks like a sensible bet in games involving Chelsea.
- Pick 1: Southampton (+1) +175
- Pick 2: Under 2.5 Goals (-110)
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