· Tom
FA Cup Semi-Final – Chelsea vs Southampton Preview
When? Sunday 22th April, 15:00 (UK)
Where? Stamford Bridge
What channel is it on? BT Sport 1
Are tickets still available? SOLD OUT
Where can I stream the match? BT Sport subscribers can stream the match online via the BT Sport website
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Last five meetings: Chelsea W5
All-time meetings: Chelsea W43, Southampton W30, D28
CHELSEA
Predicted line-up: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Christensen; Moses, Fabregas, Kante, Emerson; Willian, Morata, Hazard
Unavailable: David Luiz (Injured), Ampadu (Injured), Drinkwater (Injured), Alonso (Suspended)
Doubtful:
SOUTHAMPTON
Predicted line-up: McCarthy; Cedric, Bednarek, Hoedt, Yoshida, Bertrand; Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Hojbjerg, Tadic; Long
Unavailable: Stephens (Suspended)
Doubtful: Davis (Injured), Lemina (Injured), Boufal (Illness)
PREDICTION
Last week saw these two clubs square off in the Premier League, and at one point it looked as if Southampton were to secure a crucial win that would aid their bid to stave off the very imminent threat of relegation.
At 2-0 up the St Mary’s Stadium, it was almost set for something of a party atmosphere as Mark Hughes’s men were in full control of proceedings while Chelsea looked out of sorts once more.
But eight minutes of madness saw the game turned on its head, as Chelsea overturned a two-goal deficit with three goals in quick succession, a tally that gave them just as many points at full-time and kept their faint hopes of a top four finish alive.
There is no questioning what a crushing defeat that would have been for Southampton but now they must look at this game as a week off from the stresses that a relegation battle will create and look to be part of a second major cup final in as many years.
For Chelsea they need to end the season on a relative high after the almost non-existent defence of their Premier League title, and the only way they can seemingly do that is by going one step better then they did almost 12 months ago in the FA Cup.
Last year saw them lose to Arsenal as Arsene Wenger’s men thwarted Antonio Conte’s hopes of winning the double in his first season at the Stamford Bridge helm. He will more than likely get another crack at cup success though as Chelsea will go into this game as favourites, a tag you would expect them to live up to come full-time after earning a place in the final.
