Chelsea handed boost vs Southampton as three key players suspended for Premier League clash | OneFootball

Chelsea have been handed a boost ahead of their clash with Southampton in the Premier League on Wednesday night.

The Blues have been in fine form this season, sitting joint-second in the league alongside London rivals Arsenal.

Southampton, on the other hand, have lost 10 of their 13 games in the competition and sit bottom of the Premier League ahead of Chelsea's visit, which Enzo Maresca has labelled as the toughest of the season.

Russell Martin is under increasing pressure on the south coast and has come under criticism for persisting with a possession-focused style of play despite their results.

A heavy defeat to Maresca's Chelsea could see the end of his time at the helm at St Mary's, and things are not looking good for the Saints ahead of the clash.

Three of their key players will be unavailable for Wednesday's match after picking up yellow cards when they played Brighton on the weekend.

The Saints will also be without Chelsea loanee Lesley Ugochukwu. / IMAGO / PA Images

Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Flynn Downes and Tyler Dibling will all miss the match through suspension, having picked up five yellow cards this season.

Dibling was previously on the books for Chelsea for a short period of time before returning to Southampton, with reports that he was homesick after the move.

There is even more bad news for Martin as Downes' most likely replacement is also unavailable - Lesley Ugochukwu.

The midfielder is on loan from Chelsea, and despite not starting many games this season, would have provided some extra physicality in midfield in the absence of Downes.

With games coming thick and fast in the festive period, Ugochukwu and Chelsea will be keen to see his game time increase, with Maresca asked if he could look to recall hi

"I have no idea at the moment," he began. "I have no idea about the loans, about the transfer window. Bfore January, I think we have seven Premier League games. It's too many games to be thinking about that."

A win for Chelsea will see them extend their lead in the top four as Maresca sets his sights on the Champions League while downplaying the Blues' chances of challenging for the title alongside Liverpool and Arsenal this season.