Southampton v Chelsea Betting Tips

This should be an interesting match between two sides who have both been on good runs in the league recently. Both of them will be brimming with confidence and belief that they can achieve a good result on Sunday.

Southampton have gone very much under the radar despite their recent form – probably due to them only being eighth in the Premier League table. However, their draw away at title favourites Manchester City was hardly a shock when you look at the contrasting recent results of the two teams. The Saints will even feel they should have won that match if they were more clinical.

Claude Puel’s men kept up their good league form in the League Cup with a 1-0 win against Sunderland, despite fielding a much-weakened team. Clearly confidence is running through the entire squad and Wednesday night showed that the fringe players are more than capable of stepping in and doing well at Premier League level.

The Saints’ form at St. Mary’s has been excellent and is a big part of the reason why they are doing so well. They have won their last five matches at home in all competitions and are undefeated at home in the league this season, conceding just three goals.

With their defence being so good overall – just eight goals conceded in the league in nine games – the Southampton players know that if they can score just one goal then they will more than likely win the match which must do wonders for strikers’ confidence as the pressure on them is alleviated.

If Chelsea underestimate Southampton then there could be trouble for them. Antonio Conte’s team put in their best performance in the Premier League season last Sunday as they dispatched Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United by a convincing 4-0 scoreline.

The Italian manager was famed for playing with three central defenders during his time in his homeland and he has now implemented that formation on his Chelsea side to great effect, as shown by that thrashing of United.

Whilst the three at the back system allows for one of the defenders to bring the ball out of defence without worrying about what is behind them, I feel it could cost them against Southampton. Gary Cahill and David Luiz, in particular, are often guilty of sloppy play in defence and, if the home side can put pressure on those two just like they did against Manchester City last weekend, Southampton could profit.

Although Chelsea have won their last three matches to nil and are clearly in good form, Conte must have concerns about his side’s away form. They may have won two of their four fixtures on the road so far this campaign, but they drew against Swansea and were convincingly beaten 3-0 by Arsenal at the Emirates.

Their two victories away from Stamford Bridge came against Watford and Hull City – hardly the toughest places to go and going to St. Mary’s will, undoubtedly, prove to be a much tougher task for the Blues.

Additionally, the visitors have conceded in all of their away matches apart from one this season (the victory at Hull) and I think they will probably concede again against this good Southampton attack.

One of the Southampton forward players to really come to the fore recently is Nathan Redmond. The England U21 international either operates in behind the striker or on the left hand side. Playing in either of these positions allows the former Birmingham City man to cut inside and unleash his powerful right-foot shot.

The 22-year-old has two goals in his last two games and must be a real pest for defenders with the way he presses them for the ball. This was evident in last weekend’s draw against Manchester City and, going up against similar ball-playing defenders, Redmond will once again be asked to press them. This should give him numerous opportunities to continue his goal-scoring run.

The odds on Redmond to score look very appealing at 13/4 and, in all honesty, are hard to resist.

I imagine Southampton will come out on the front foot with their pressing style and take the game to Chelsea. The Saints have scored first in five out of their last six Premier League matches and It wouldn’t be a surprise if they did the same here.

Although I have bigged up Southampton, Chelsea are of course a good side and they are more than capable of getting a result. Confidence will be high after recent results but you cannot ignore the Saints’ record at St. Mary’s. A draw seems a likely result here, but I would save yourself some losses by backing ‘Draw – Southampton No Bet’. This market allows for a refund if the home side take all three points.

For all of Sunday’s tips click here.