Head coach Enzo Maresca had called for an improved performance against Aston Villa on Saturday after a disappointing defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion the week before but whilst we did play well for large spells of our trip to Birmingham, it ultimately ended in a 2-1 defeat.

After the match, Maresca spoke of how the performance just reinforced his view that we are only one win away from turning our form around and getting back to winning Premier League games consistently.

Saturday saw the return to Reece James, as our captain replaced the injured Noni Madueke and started in central midfield, where he excelled during the second half of his loan spell at Wigan Athletic during the 2018/19 season.

Maresca praised James' performance at Villa alongside Moises Caicedo, who continues to impress in the heart of our midfield.

Our head coach started today by speaking to the media for his pre-Southampton press conference and the first question directed at the Italian was about Trevoh Chalobah.

Maresca confirmed the centre-back will miss tomorrow night's match but is hopefully he could return for our trip to Copenhagen following the international break.

Chelsea face a Southampton team who are bottom of the table, with nine points from 26 games, and are currently 13 points below Wolverhampton Wanderers in 17th position.

But Maresca highlighted how the Saints' struggles this season are also one of the reasons why you have to be wary.

‘From now on, every game and team is playing for something,’ he said. ‘They will all be tough matches.

‘I really think that [it could be tricky vs Southampton]. It's football. I am not saying that for a message, I really believe every game is a tricky game. The differences are so tiny. We need to be focused on how we win the game.'

You can watch Tuesday night's 8.15pm kick-off on TNT Sports in the UK or it will available via local Premier League TV rights holders in other countries.

You can also follow all the action as it happens in our Chelsea vs Southampton Match Centre on our website and app, where there will be live commentary and minute-by-minute updates.