Today Chelsea travel down to the south coast, to face a Southampton side full of confidence and form; with the Saint’s currently sitting 6th in the table. 7 points ahead of their opponents this weekend. Chelsea on the other hand have been in great form since the appointment of Hiddink, but still are yet to make it out of the bottom half of the table in this calendar year.
Last season’s Premier league champions will be full of confidence themselves after a 5-1 thrashing of a heavily rotated Manchester City side in the FA cup last weekend. Chelsea are not far of a Europa league spot and will look to play a strong side this weekend to salvage our season.
Goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois: The Belgian shot stopper has become an important player for Chelsea in recent years, but may come under scrutiny, having not kept a clean sheet in his last 4 appearances for the blues. It may be the defensive’s fault or a lapse of concentration in the latter stages of the game but Courtois will maintain his position this weekend.
Defenders
RB – Cesar Azpilicueta: Dave has always been a consistent player for Chelsea, but seems to look uncomfortable at right back, the Spaniard looked to have his hands full against PSG two weeks ago, but it may be because he has been use to playing on the other flank, but I am sure he will become accustomed to his new/old position against Southampton and put in a great defensive performance.
CB – Branislav Ivanovic & Gary Cahill: Despite the availability of captain John Terry, it has been fair to say that Ivanovic and Cahill has become a decent centre partnership, with the Serbian putting in better performances in the centre than he did out wide. Cahill has also shown leadership and will look to continue and push for a place in Roy Hodgson’s Euro squad this summer.
LB – Abdul Baba Rahman: The talented full back has come to live in recent weeks, after being given the opportunity to prove himself due to the injuries picked up by Kurt Zouma & John Terry. The Ghanaian has made a huge claim and may have cemented this position for the rest of the season.
Midfielders
CDM – John Obi Mikel & Cesc Fabregas: A midfield partnership that could be considered as one of the best in the league. Mikel’s defensive ability has allowed Fabregas to become more free on the pitch, which leads to him being more instrumental on the attack. It is almost guaranteed that these two will continue in midfield on Saturday.
RW – Willian: The Brazilian has been Chelsea’s shining light in a gloomy season, and has continued his incredible into the near, bagging more goals in the process. The talented winger has become the first name on the team sheet an will continue this weekend, unless an injury is picked up during the warm up.
CAM – Eden Hazard: The Belgian has struggled with confidence this season, but after an inspiring  performance against Manchester City last weekend, where he provided two assists and bagged himself a goal from a free kick. Hiddink will hope last season’s PFA player the year finds his form for the latter stages of this season.
LW – Pedro: The 2010 world cup winner had a troublesome time during his first few months as a Chelsea player, but is now finally showing the Chelsea faithful why the club paid £21 million for his signature, and deserves to continue out on the left against the Saints.
Striker
Diego Costa: The Brazilian born Spaniard has been in incredible form under the management of Guus Hiddink, and feels like a new signing with his recent form. On occasions, the forward carries the team with his sheer passion and grit. We can only hope for another goal this weekend.
