Southampton vs Chelsea: Match prediction | Premier League Predictions and more

Chelsea are set to rub shoulders with Southampton at St. Mary's on Sunday. With two wins and a defeat against Liverpool that had a lot of positives to absorb, the Blues have begun to find their rhythm under new boss Frank Lampard.

They're now on a run of three consecutive wins, and three points against the hosts on Sunday could lift the entire mood at Cobham ahead of the international break.

They're, however, up against a side that packs the channels and forces teams to try innovative ideas by suffocating them in Southampton. They narrowly lost out to Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool - ending up on the wrong side of a 2-1 result, but snatched a point against Manchester United.

The Saints have not been the luckiest in terms of their fixtures, but Ralph Hasenhuttl has definitely propelled them into playing end-to-end, fast-paced football.

They could enjoy a few promising spells against Chelsea, who have kept just the solitary clean sheet in all competitions this term. With Danny Ings slated to lead the line, Southampton have in them a menacing forward who works his socks off, fights for the loose ball always and scores goals.

The Blues have to be vary of his aerial threat, along with the counter-attacking productivity of Nathan Redmond.

As for Chelsea, Tammy Abraham remains the torch-bearer and shoulders most of the goal-scoring burden. He's already got eight this season, but he'd be licking his lips against Southampton ahead of England duty.

Lampard could tinker with his line-up a little bit and maybe revert to a traditional 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3. It'll be interesting to see if Cesar Azpilicueta, who completed more successful passes than any other player in the 2-1 victory over Lille, keeps his place at right-back.

Callum Hudson-Odoi is another one gunning for a spot in the starting XI, but we expect the Chelsea boss to stick with Mason Mount and Willian or Pedro upfront.

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Verdict

It's sure to be an entertaining contest, with Southampton subject to conceding the ball cheaply in their own half owing to the Chelsea press. The Blues, however, have a task on their hands in the defensive aspects, but a couple of goals should see them over the line.

Predicted score: Southampton 1-2 Chelsea