"I would even say" – Paul Merson makes Chelsea claim as he gives prediction for Southampton clash
Yesterday at 10:30 AM
Chelsea are looking to make it three Premier League wins in a row when they face Southampton on Wednesday and Paul Merson has given his prediction.
The Blues continued their good start to the season with a 3-0 win against Aston Villa on Sunday to move back into the top three.
Southampton are currently bottom of the table, but when they were last in the Premier League in the 2022/2023 campaign they did the double over Chelsea.
Merson gives his Southampton vs Chelsea prediction
In theory this should be a straight forward game for Chelsea given the difference in quality between the two sides, but this season has shown all teams are capable of taking points from one another.
Maresca confirmed in his press conference that Wesley Fofana would be out for a number of weeks in a big blow for Chelsea.
The 44-year-old refused to confirm who would replace the Frenchman, although you would expect it to be Benoit Badiashile.
Chelsea need to keep the momentum going ahead of Sunday's trip to Tottenham and Merson has backed the Blues to pick up an easy three points on the South Coast.
"I can't see anything but a Chelsea win," Merson told Sportskeeda as cited on X.com.
"They are flying at the moment, third in the league and that's only on alphabetical order. Chelsea are moving the ball well and I expect Cole Palmer to enjoy a lot of space to operate in during this game. I don't think Southampton will cause them any sort of problems.
"Chelsea's worry at the start of the season was going to be finding their best team. That's what troubled Mauricio Pochettino.
"Enzo Maresca has come in and he has not missed the mark at all when it comes to identifying his core group of players. I thought it was a really bold decision to let Raheem Sterling go in the summer, but he's been proven right now.
"I would even say Chelsea are flying a bit under the radar now. They are doing very, very well.
"Prediction: Southampton 0-3 Chelsea."
