Chelsea welcome Southampton to Stamford Bridge in midweek, with the hosts well aware that only a victory will do if they want to keep their slim chance of winning the Premier League alive.

Where to Follow Live

Kick-off is set for 7.45pm GMT, with Chelsea TV providing live commentary.

Chelsea v Southampton
Reuters

Overview

The Blues are currently third on the Premier League table with 41 points after 21 games, while Southampton sit 15th with 21 points. The two sides had met 10 days before at the St Mary's in the FA Cup third round tie, where Rafael Benitez's men posted a comprehensive 5-1 victory.

Chelsea go into this game on the back of a 4-0 triumph over Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium but they have lost their last two home matches; a 1-0 defeat to QPR in the league and 2-0 loss to Swansea City in the Carling Cup. Nigel Adkins' side, on the other hand, recorded a 1-0 win against Aston Villa at the Villa Park in their last game but were without a win in any of the five matches before that.

Form Guide

Chelsea

  • Last Five Matches (all competitions, most recent first): W L W L W
  • Last Match: Stoke City 0-4 Chelsea

Southampton

  • Last Five Matches (all competitions, most recent first): W L D D D
  • Last Match: Aston Villa 0-1 Southampton

Team News

Chelsea: Both John Mikel Obi and Victor Moses have joined the Nigeria squad competing in the Africa Cup of Nations. Benitez will also be without Yossi Benayoun for this clash, while Oriol Romeu remains sidelined. However, captain John Terry will start the game, following his return from a knee injury that had kept him out since November.

Probable Line-up: (4-2-3-1) Cech; Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Lampard; Mata, Oscar, Hazard; Torres

Southampton: Adkins is set to name the same line-up that beat Villa at the weekend, with the exception of young wing-back Luke Shaw, who suffered a gash on his right knee during the game. Meanwhile, Adam Lallana and Jose Fonte are still unavailable.

Probable Line-up: (4-4-1-1) Boruc; Clyne, Yoshida, Hooiveld, Fox; Puncheon, Cork, Schneiderlin, Ramirez; Rodriguez; Lambert

Nigeria