Chelsea are about to embark on an extremely busy run of three Premier League matches in the space of seven days.
Chelsea host Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League.
Afterwards, the Blues travel to St Mary’s next week to play Southampton on Wednesday night. That’s followed by a trip to London rivals Tottenham just a few days later.
Villa manager Unai Emery has praised Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca ahead of tomorrow’s fascinating league showdown.
There’s definitely a feel-good factor around Stamford Bridge right now, but that could be wrecked with a few bad results in quick succession.
Mateus Fernandes of Southampton celebrates after scoring to make it 2-1 with team-mates Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Flynn Downes and Tyler Dibling durin...
Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images
Key Southampton trio suspended vs Chelsea
Chelsea’s immediate focus will be on tomorrow’s match versus Aston Villa, but there’s been an interesting development ahead of the game against Southampton.
Southampton recorded a 1-1 away draw at Brighton on Friday night. As a result, they stay rooted to the bottom of the division table with five points from 13 top-flight games.
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Interestingly, three Saints players picked up their fifth yellow card of the season against Brighton, which means they’re all suspended and unavailable to face Chelsea next week.
Southampton trio Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Flynn Downes, and Tyler Dibling miss the club’s next game against Chelsea. On paper, that looks like a massive blow for Russell Martin’s side.
Player Appearances Yellow cards Match rating
Taylor Harwood-Bellis 13 5 6.57
Flynn Downes 12 5 6.48
Tyler Dibling 13 5 6.68
Southampton players in the 2024/25 Premier League season so far via FOTMOB
Harwood-Bellis, who recently made his senior England debut, is a talented centre-back in the Saints defence. Meanwhile, Downes is an effective box-to-box central midfielder, while Dibling is the chief attacking threat with his skill and dribbling.
Chelsea were likely to be big favourites travelling to the South Coast on Wednesday, but their chances may have just increased even further.
Which Chelsea players are one booking away from a suspension?
As Chelsea prepare to face Villa on Sunday, there’s two Blues stars that go into the match knowing they’re only one booking away from a one-game ban.
So, will Chelsea be missing any players of their own versus Southampton next week?
Nicolas Jackson – Four yellow cards
Pedro Neto – Four yellow cards
If Nicolas Jackson or Pedro Neto are booked against Villa, they’ll be unavailable for the trip to Southampton.
Chelsea winger Neto is expected to be available against Villa after missing the last couple of matches with an injury. He’s growing in importance to this Blues side as he finds his best form during his debut season with the club.
As for Jackson, he’s started every league game so far this season, scoring seven goals in 13 matches. Jamie O’Hara claims Chelsea striker Jackson is proving people wrong with his quality performances right now.
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