Southampton face a tricky trip to Chelsea on Boxing Day as they hope to build some real momentum over the Christmas period.
Saints recorded a massive win last time out with a 3-1 victory at Villa Park that moved Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side out of the relegation zone.
Although the side may need a result at Stamford Bridge to stay out of the bottom three as the two sides directly below them – Aston Villa and Norwich – play each other at the same time.
Chelsea come into this clash in high spirits after an impressive 2-0 win at rivals Spurs.
That result leaves Frank Lampard’s side in fourth place in the Premier League – four points clear of Sheffield United in fifth.
Saints have a miserable record against Chelsea over recent seasons, losing eight and drawing one of their last nine meetings with the only point coming in a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge last season.
Hasenhuttl’s pre-match press conference revealed that Moussa Djenepo remains absent, Kevin Danso is back training, Yann Valery is still ill and Sofiane Boufal is now training without pain injections.
There is further bad news for Saints as Shane Long is a major doubt and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg a minor doubt due to both suffering knocks since the Villa win.
Here’s how we predict the Southampton side to line up:
