Enzo Maresca’s red-hot Chelsea are aiming to continue their unbeaten run as they travel to bottom-of-the-table Southampton on Wednesday night.

The Saints are bringing up the rear in the Premier League, but Russell Martin’s side have at least been competitive for much of the season thus far. They ran league-leaders Liverpool close in their previous home game and were unlucky not to claim all three points at Brighton last time out.

However, the hosts are set to be without their core for Chelsea’s visit.

Maresca’s Blues made light work of Aston Villa on Sunday to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to six games. Chelsea are level on points with Arsenal in third, but Maresca has been quick to dismiss his side’s title aspirations.

Wednesday’s visitors haven’t tasted defeat in the league since they succumbed at Anfield on 20 October.

Here is 90min’s guide to Wednesday night’s Premier League clash.

Southampton vs Chelsea H2H Record (Last Five Games)

Current form (all competitions)

The Saints are currently in the midst of an availability crisis, one exacerbated by Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Flynn Downes and Tyler Dibling’s bookings against Brighton.

The trio are suspended for Wednesday’s game as a result.

Lesley Ugochukwu is ineligible to face his parent club having joined Southampton on loan from the Blues in the summer. Will Smallbone and Adam Lallana are set to miss out due to thigh injuries, while Joe Lumley will likely deputise for Aaron Ramsdale between the sticks after the 29-year-old got the nod against Brighton.

Southampton predicted lineup vs Chelsea (5-4-1): Lumley; Sugawara, Walker-Peters, Wood, Stephens, Manning; Fraser, Aribo, Mateus Fernandes, Armstrong; Archer.

Maresca has rotated for Chelsea’s midweek fixtures this season, but the Italian won’t be making wholesale changes to the team that beat Villa 3-0 on Sunday.

Joao Felix and Noni Madueke are contenders to come into Maresca’s team having appeared off the bench last time out.

Wesley Fofana sustained another injury setback at the weekend and is set for at least a month on the sidelines as a result. Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo are the leading candidates to partner Levi Colwill on Wednesday.

Chelsea predicted lineup vs Southampton (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Lavia; Madueke, Palmer, Felix; Jackson.

He won’t want to admit it, but this is a bit of a write-off game for Russell Martin. The Saints are finding it hard enough as it is and will surely be overwhelmed on Wednesday without Harwood-Bellis, Downes and Dibling in the side.

Chelsea are edging towards firing on all cylinders with Maresca at the helm, and their kind run to end the calendar year means the Blues should be determined to enter the title conversation – even if only briefly.

In short, it’s hard to envisage anything but a cruise for the Blues on the south coast in midweek.

Prediction: Southampton 0-3 Chelsea

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