Ajax vs Chelsea 24.10.2019

Including qualifiers, Ajax is unbeaten in this season’s UEFA Champions League (UCL) campaign (W4, D2), winning both of their group stage games to date by a 3-0 scoreline. The Dutch champions have done so as part of a riotous sequence, which has seen them win their last six halves of UCL football with a clean sheet.

Across all competitions, Ajax remains unbeaten this season (W13, D4). Three of their last four competitive wins have seen them score exactly twice in one half, with the two goals in question separated by no more than 30 minutes each time.

In terms of Premier League (PL) and UCL form alone, Chelsea has been invincible since their last defeat (P4, W4), with those four games seeing them score exactly once (and score the last goal) beyond the 70th minute. The last three of that quartet also saw Chelsea win the second half 1-0.

Despite their recent surge, a competitive clean sheet on the road remains elusive for Chelsea this season. Impressively though, Frank Lampard’s men have won their last four competitive away games (all producing over 2.5 total goals), with Chelsea scoring once beyond the 75th minute in the last three of those road trips.

Southampton vs Chelsea epl 6.10.2019

Southampton’s roller coaster ride in the Premier League (PL) has already fetched them four losses in seven. Two of those have come at home (D1), and worryingly, Southampton has just three clean sheets from 22 PL home games since the start of last season, and none this year.

However, Southampton has managed to score in each of their last 17 PL home fixtures – albeit keeping just one clean sheet in the process. Regardless, each of their six PL results this season (wins/losses) was won by the side that scored the opening goal.

Chelsea has recovered from a horror start to the PL season at Old Trafford, stitching together a W3, D2, L1 run. Each of their three PL away games this season has produced over 3.5 total goals, with the ‘Blues’ winning the last two matches in that sequence – scoring eight combined, whilst conceding twice both times.

That is on expected lines, as Chelsea have already conceded 27 PL away goals this calendar year, with only Watford conceding more (33). 

Intriguingly, even in such high scoring games, the first-scorer advantage holds strong – all five winners in Chelsea’s PL games this season have opened the scoring. Furthermore, a majority of those opening goals (three) have arrived within the first 20 minutes.

Players to watch: Five of Danny Ings’ six Southampton goals in the PL have come against last season’s top six, including two this campaign. Meanwhile, Tammy Abraham has seven PL goals this season, giving or extending Chelsea’s lead every time.

Stat attack: Three of Southampton’s seven PL games were goalless at the break.

Southampton is yet to score a PL goal in the first 30 minutes of play this season.

Chelsea has won their last four PL H2H visits here, with every game witnessing exactly one first-half goal.