Chelsea vs. Southampton: Odds, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Chelsea play their first Premier League fixture of 2019 on Wednesday when they take on struggling Southampton at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues picked up wins over Watford and Crystal Palace over the Christmas period to move two points behind third-placed Tottenham Hotspur iin the table.
Meanwhile, manager Ralph Hasenhuttl's bright start to life at Saints ended with defeats to West Ham United and Manchester City.
The results mean only goal difference is keeping Southampton out of the relegation zone, and they will be desperate for three points to try and move away from the bottom three.
Date: Wednesday, January 2
Time: 7:45 p.m. (GMT), 2:45 p.m. (ET)
TV Info: NBCSN (U.S.)
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live (U.S.)
Odds: Chelsea: 29-100, Draw: 5-1, Southampton: 9-1
Odds according to OddsShark
Preview
Chelsea's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday came at a cost, as the Blues saw their injury problems worsen during the game at Selhurst Park.
Striker Olivier Giroud left the ground on crutches, and manager Maurizio Sarri highlighted the amount of injuries he's having to contend with ahead of the Southampton clash:
Alvaro Morata replaced the injured Giroud, but his performance will have done little to convince Sarri he deserves to start against Saints:
The Chelsea boss is more likely to draft Eden Hazard back into a false-nine role for Wednesday's game.
Sarri can also take comfort from the contribution of N'Golo Kante. The midfielder scored his third goal of the season against Palace, his best-ever goalscoring haul:
Chelsea have not been at their best in recent games, but they have still managed to get the results required to cement fourth place, five points ahead of Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Southampton have been brought back down to earth after wins over Arsenal and Huddersfield Town in Hasenhuttl's first two games in charge.
Saints must also cope without Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg against Chelsea following his red card for a reckless lunge on Fernandinho against Manchester City on Sunday.
Hasenhuttl made it clear what he thought of his skipper's impending absence:
Hojbjerg's influence will be missed at Stamford Bridge, and Hassenhuttl will have to find a way to cope without the Dane if Southampton are to take anything from their trip to west London.
