Chelsea vs. Southampton: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info

Chelsea may be fighting a losing battle in defence of their Premier League title, but manager Antonio Conte will demand high standards continue to be set when they meet Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

The Blues' campaign has been punctured by the odd poor performance, meaning they find themselves in third place and 14 points behind leaders Manchester City. At this juncture, Chelsea's ambition should be to secure themselves in the top four places.

Southampton were beaten 4-1 by Leicester City on Wednesday and, as such, are potentially ideal opponents for the champions. But Mauricio Pellegrino's side have shown they can stifle the division's star names.

Read on for the latest team news ahead of the contest, the key viewing details and a preview of how this one will go.

Date: Saturday, December 16

Time: 3 p.m. (GMT)/10 a.m. (ET)

TV Info: NBC Sports (U.S.)

Live Stream: NBC Sports App (U.S.)

Team News

Chelsea: Alvaro Morata remains a doubt for the Blues having missed the win over Huddersfield Town on Tuesday, although Danny Drinkwater returned from a layoff against the Terriers. David Luiz is set to sit out another match due to a knee injury.

Likely XI: Thibaut Courtois; Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen, Gary Cahill; Victor Moses, N'Golo Kante, Danny Drinkwater, Marcos Alonso; Willian, Eden Hazard, Pedro

Southampton: Pellegrino has no major injury concerns, although it would be no surprise to see him shore things up at the back following the side's capitulation against Leicester.

Likely XI: Fraser Forster; Cedric, Maya Yoshida, Virgil van Dijk, Wesley Hoedt, Ryan Bertrand; Oriol Romeu, Mario Lemina, Steven Davis; Dusan Tadic, Charlie Austin

Team news courtesy of the Fantasy Football Scout website.

Preview

Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

Conte decided against using Michy Batshuayi in midweek following Morata's layoff, with the fluid front three of Hazard, Pedro and Willian deployed. The triumvirate caused so many issues for Huddersfield in a comprehensive 3-1 win.

While Hazard has been the star for Chelsea in recent weeks, both Pedro and Willian were able to get on the scoresheet.

The Brazil international, in particular, has found some brilliant form. Per BT Sport Football, he was pivotal against Huddersfield:

Conte will want to see some consistency over the festive period to ensure they remain among the chasing pack.

Throughout 2017-18, when Chelsea appeared to be building momentum, a poor display has set them back. That was evident in the recent loss to West Ham United, which all but ended any hopes of a title charge for the Blues.

Chelsea do have a squad that should see them cope with the demands of this run of games better than most, though. In midfield, Conte could call on any of Tiemoue Bakayoko, Cesc Fabregas, Drinkwater or Kante.

And the manager has stressed there is still a lot to play for in spite of Pep Guardiola's City disappearing over the horizon, per Goal UK:

Southampton's season already appears in danger of fizzling out after some decent recent displays were undone by an appalling one against Leicester.

Former boss Claude Puel returned with the Foxes and watched his side run riot at St Mary's Stadium. Leicester were bright, incisive and organised, while Saints were pulled apart time after time. For Southampton supporters, it was a night to forget.

Steve Bardens/Getty Images

As Adam Blackmore of Radio Solent noted, the under-pressure manager took full responsibility for the performance after the game:

If Southampton are to avoid another hammering this weekend, it's important they're better organised and better in possession at Stamford Bridge. With that in mind, it would be no shock to see Pellegrino pack the defence and midfield as he did in the 2-1 loss to Manchester City on November 29.

Chelsea are used to this type of challenge, and although they may have struggled to unpick deep-lying opponents on the road, they're an entirely different prospect at home. A win here will ensure the Blues remain among the top four and heap the pressure on Pellegrino.

Prediction: Chelsea 3-0 Southampton