FA Cup, Southampton v Chelsea: Preview and Teams

Chelsea travel to St Mary's this weekend, to face Southampton in the third round of the FA Cup.

Where to Watch

Kick-off is set for 3 pm GMT. Live updates are available via BBC Radio 5 live. Catch the highlights of the game on iTV 1 and iTV 1 HD at 11 pm GMT.

Overview

Nigel Adkins' men enter this game on the back of three consecutive draws, the most recent being a 1-1 result at home to Arsenal. The Saints have struggled since promotion to the Premier League this season, with only four wins from 20 games and 38 goals conceded in English top flight football; only Wigan, Reading and Newcastle United have conceded more so far this season.

Southampton are presently 17th in the league, with only goal difference keeping them above the Latics and out of the relegation zone. Improvement is an absolute must if they wish to remain in the Premier League but at the moment it is difficult to see how that will happen. Adkins won only once in December and a brief flurry of eight points from four games in November aside, the Saints have been poor.

The good news is home form has been reasonably good for Southampton. They've lost only four of 10 games in the league and three of their four wins across the season so far have been at St Mary's and, better still, the Saints have only lost once in the last six home fixtures.

The European champions will be a difficult proposition but with acceptable home form and crowd support, Adkins may just sneak a result here.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are in a spot of bother. The confidence and self-belief from the 8-0 hammering of Aston Villa and 5-1 drubbing of Leeds United (Capital One Cup quarter final) has likely taken a hit with a poor performance against QPR. The west London club were shocked 1-0 by Harry Redknapp's relegation candidates, to slip to a second home defeat in the Premier League and dropped points to champions Manchester City in the race for second place.

The defeat to the Loftus Road club aside, the Blues have actually been in good form under interim boss Rafael Benitez, with players acknowledging the positive impact of the Spanish coach. Expect Chelsea to respond strongly to the midweek defeat but this will likely be a cautious game, for the European champions do have league visits from Arsenal and Swansea City lined up for the rest of the month.

Team Guide

Southampton

• Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): D D D L W
• Last Result: Southampton 1 - 1 Arsenal

Chelsea

• Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): L W W W W
• Last Result: Chelsea 0 - 1 Queens Park Rangers

Team News

Adkins' only big absence is captain Adam Lallana (knee). The Saints have a full-strength side otherwise. High-profile summer signing Gaston Ramirez will face a late fitness test but the attacking midfielder will likely be ready to start. Defender Nathaniel Clyne will also face a late test but Southampton may opt not field him anyway.

Probable Line-Up: Boruc; Cork, Yoshida, Fonte, Shaw; Scheniderlin, Davis; Puncheon, Ward-Prowse, Ramirez; Rodriguez

Chelsea will probably be without No 1 goalkeeper Petr Cech; the Czech international is still recovering from groin problem, meaning stand-in Ross Turnbull will continue in goal.

Spanish playmaker Juan Mata, Belgian international Eden Hazard and veteran left back Ashley Cole will all likely start this game, after being rested for the midweek fixture. Israeli winger Yossi Benayoun, who has returned from his loan at West Ham with a knee problem is out indefinitely. And former Barcelona midfielder Oriol Romeu and captain John Terry are both unlikely to play as well, with former ruled out for at least a few months. New recruit Demba Ba might start the game from the bench.

Probable Line-Up: Turnbull; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ivanovic, Bertrand; Luiz, Lampard; Hazard, Oscar, Mata; Moses