Thomas Tuchel will be without a minimum of four players - two of them new injury concerns - for the fixture on the South Coast in the Premier League this weekend against Southampton.
The Blues are looking to end a two-game losing streak with a convincing win against Ralph Hasenhuttl's Saints. Shock defeats at the hands of Brentford and Real Madrid who combined, hit seven past a usually resilient defensive unit, have left Chelsea's season in jeopardy and a loss in this fixture could mean top four could be put into question if rivals behind them capitalise this weekend.
"Absolutely confident, but never as a given. I never thought of this as a given because this is the most demanding league in the world," Tuchel said in his pre-match press conference on Friday. "We know where we come from. We know how we struggled through the season and what can make us struggle. I feel in the team that there is nothing bad. We can play on a very high level if we reach our top level. We do this very consecutive and repetitive, very often. Very good. This is our job, what we push for.
