The chances of anything other than a defeat are not good for Southampton, will Ivan Juric wake up and smell the coffee on this one and play a side that can be organised and defend.
When you have a run like Saints are on, you have to get back to the drawing board, that means simplifying things, putting square pegs in square holes, playing a system that the players understand and are comfortable with and regaining some confidence.
Against Bournemouth & Brighton it was quite frankly embarrassing, we looked like a team of 10 year olds who just chase the ball and are yet to learn about positions and staying in them, that meant that both the Cherries & the Seagulls waltzed through the centre of our midfield and defence with ease, against Brighton especially, it could have been double figures.
So Ivan Juric has to change things, that means forgetting back three's with two full backs or a midfielder, it means a solid 4-4-2 formation with a solid spine.
In my mind you play Armel Bella-Kotchap alongside another central defender, not a full back, not a midfielder, a recognised central defender, unfortunately that won't be Jan Bednarek he is injured, nor Taylor Harwood-Bellis who apparently is fit enough for the bench, so it is a choice between Jack Stephens who was sent off in the home game against the Blues or Nathan Wood.
Full backs has to be Kyle Walker Peters on the right and Welington on the left.
In midfield we will be missing Big les Ugochukwu who cannot play against his parent club, so Flynn Downes surely has to return, pair him alongside Joe Aribo with Mateus Fernandes, and perhaps play Albert Gronbaek in his natural position in the centre of the midfield. Have a 3 man wall shielding the defence and then Mateus Fernandes just in front.
Then play a front two of Sulemana & Tyler Dibling, one with pace to run at the Chelsea defence and the other to play a little deeper.
So my team would be
Ramsdale.
KWP. Bella Kotchap, Wood or Stephens. Welington.
Aribo. Downes, Gronbaek
Fernandes
Dibling. Sulemana.
That is a good solid line up that is basically 4-4-2, with the slight variation that Fernandes has a slightly more free role.
This is not a Chelsea side with consistency, indeed they have won just twice in the Premier League since 15th December, but they are still hard to beat and as it stands going into this game despite losing 3 of their last 4 Premier League games, they are just 1 point off Manchester City in 4th and 4 points behind Nottingham Forest in 3rd, so they still have a lot to play for..
But we have to concentrate on what we need to do and that means Ivan Juric showing that unlike his predecessor he is flexible and adaptable, that he can change formation and get back to basics when it is needed.
Can he do that ? I am not sure, I have seen little evidence so far, he might not play the same type of football as Russell martin, but he has showed similar traits in that he seems to want to play players out of position, make strange substitutions and have his favourites.
It doesn't look good going into this game, but to be blunt that has been the case for virtually every game since August, perhaps this will be one that throws up a few surprises.