Chelsea’s struggles continue in 2025, as despite taking an early lead against Aston Villa, they eventually lost the match 2-1. This defeat added more pressure on manager Enzo Maresca, as his team has now lost three out of their last four Premier League games (with only one win) and their chances of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League next season are diminishing. On a brighter note, Chelsea will be hosting the bottom-ranked Southampton in their next game at Stamford Bridge. Maresca should feel confident after his side’s 5-1 victory in the previous head-to-head encounter. Furthermore, Chelsea has an impressive record of winning 11 out of their last 14 Premier League matches against teams starting the day at the bottom of the table, with only one loss and two draws. They have also won six out of seven games this season against teams ranked 15th or lower.
In their last game, Southampton suffered a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Brighton, further deepening their misery in the Premier League. With just nine points from 26 matches (with two wins, three draws, and 21 losses), Southampton is at the bottom of the table and is almost certain to be relegated to the Championship. However, they have a chance to make history by winning back-to-back away games in the Premier League for the first time since June 2020, when they defeated Ipswich 2-1. Southampton did beat Chelsea 1-0 in their previous visit to Stamford Bridge, but they have not won consecutive away games against them since March 1985.
Keep an eye on Enzo Fernandez, who scored for Chelsea in their last game against Villa, but unfortunately, this was the first time his team lost when he scored (out of 13 such occasions with either Chelsea or Benfica). For Southampton, Joe Aribo has scored three goals in the Premier League this season, including one in the reverse head-to-head game against Chelsea, with all three goals coming before the 30th minute. Interesting fact: In their last ten home games across all competitions, Chelsea has seen an average of 4.1 total goals per game.
