Southampton are the clear underdogs in their upcoming fixture against Chelsea, and BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson has backed the Blues to come away with all three points.
Saints have had a mixed start to the new season, and head into this clash on the back of two Premier League defeats against Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have looked sharp after an uncomfortable start under Frank Lampard. They will be full of confidence following their win over LOSC Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Lawrenson predicts that the Blues will win 2-1 at St Mary’s on Sunday, and wrote for BBC Sport:
The Blues should win, but Southampton will have some opportunities too, and it is going to be close.
I was actually expecting more from Saints this season in their first full campaign under Ralph Hasenhuttl, but so far they don’t look like they have got much better.
They are still waiting for their first home win of the season, and I don’t think they will get it this week.
Read Southampton’s verdict
Chelsea are by no means unbeatable, but it does seem a little unlikely that Saints will get the better of Lampard’s men at the weekend.
Although their defensive deficiencies have been well documented in recent times, Southampton have hardly been prolific up top – especially in front of their home crowd.
It’s understandable that Chelsea are being tipped to win this game. Hopefully, Saints can pull off a surprise and clinch a much-needed result.
