Southampton take on Chelsea at St Mary’s tonight at 19:45 – a fixture that saw a 6-0 thumping to the away side last season. Not sure we’ll get the same here, but who knows with this hit and miss Chelsea side.
This stats pack should be the perfect tool to make any bet builders for the game, as it includes stats for a range of betting markets – outcome, goals, shots, corners and cards.
Predicted Lineups
Southampton will lineup in a favoured 4-2-3-1 formation having experimented with 3 at the back in their first two games.
Winger Djenepo has cemented his spot in the lineup with some great performances from left-back.
Che Adams has also been rewarded for his performances with starts as the main man up top.
Chelsea will lineup with their signature 3-4-2-1 with Havertz, Sterling and Mount interchangeable at the top.
This gives the wing-backs in the Chelsea lineup the most freedom in the team, and that’s been shown with Cucurella and James racking up the goal contributions.
I’m expecting Chilwell to come in for Cucurella tonight on the left, and he’ll be pushing high up the pitch. Unfortunately James is out tonight and that should see Kovacic in CM with Loftus-Cheek pushed out to the right.
Team Stats
A win and two losses sums up a fairly lacklustre start to the season for Southampton, where they’ve been performing similar to their xG – converting 1,25 goals a game with an xG of 1.3.
Their opponents tend to me much more clinical, with better shot accuracy and conversion rates. The Saint’s have conceded 8 times in 4 games.
They also don’t tend to get many corners or cards, and I’d expect the same tonight.
Chelsea have also had a up and down start to the campaign, and sit in 6th place after two wins from four, and arguably deserving a third against Tottenham on Matchday 2.
They haven’t shown the same defensive stability they had last season, and have conceded more than they have scored.
They also average double the number of corners than the Saints, and over triple the number of cards.
Player Shots and Shots on Target
Che Adams tops the shots chart for the hosts, and has attempted almost 4 shots per 90, with 44% of those shots making it on target
Joe Aribo and Adam Armstrong also get their chances sitting in behind Adams.
If the Saints start to draw fouls in the attacking third, then look out for the threats from set pieces.
Bella-Kotchap is a threat in the area, while Ward-Prowse is something of a free-kick specialist.
For Chelsea, their top shot-taker is centre-back Koulibaly highlighting his threat at corners and indirect free-kicks.
He is closely followed by the front three of Havertz, Sterling and Mount.
Player Goals and Assists
Southampton have grabbed 5 goals in their opening 4 games, with Che Adams claiming two of them.
He also managed a brace in their 3-0 league cup win over Cambridge United.
James Ward-Prowse has contributed to two goals this season with a goal and an assist.
The Blues have also notched 5 goals this season, conceding 6.
Chelsea’s new signings have been involved in most of their goals, with Sterling notching 3 goal contributions, Cucurella with 2, and Koulibaly with the one stunning volley.
Southampton Cards
Referee Michael Oliver will be taking charge of this one, and he’s averaged a fairly average 3.33 cards a game.
The Saints have been living up to their name, with just a single card per game.
Elyounoussi has been averaging 3.33 fouls a game and seen yellow once, although this slightly skewed given he’s only played 212 minutes.
Jorginho has drawn the most fouls for Chelsea from the centre of the park, with 2.73 a game.
Loftus-Cheek may start at wing-back as he did against Tottenham and Leeds, but I’d expect Chalobah to come in at centre-back pushing James to wing-back and Loftus-Cheek into the centre.
Match-Ups to Watch
Salisu vs Mount
Walker-Peters vs Sterling
Aribo vs Chilwell
Chelsea Cards
Chelsea have seen a card a hefty 13 times this season.
The main culprit is new signing Kalidou Koulibaly, who’s received a card in all three of his appearances in blue, including a red against Leeds.
Chelsea have also received a red card in both of their last two games.
Loftus-Cheek could have real trouble tonight dealing with Moussa Djenepo if he wants to get forward.
The makeshift left back draws more fouls and attempts more dribbles than any other Southampton player.
On the other side, Walker-Peters will also be looking to get forward from right-back.
Match-Ups to Watch:
Loftus-Cheek vs Djenepo
Koulibaly vs Adams
Havertz vs Lavia
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And that’s all for this stats pack, so let’s go and get some winning betslips from this.
If you are placing a bet, remember to stick to budget and keep the stakes low. If you weren’t planning on a bet for these midweek games, then don’t feel like you need to. I post these stats packs to boost your chances of a win, not to force you into placing a bet.
