Ralph Hasenhuttl expects 'wild' Chelsea game for Southampton
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Friday 4 October 2019 14:41, UK
Ralph Hasenhuttl expects Southampton to face a "wild" game against Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday as his side target their first home win of the season.
The Saints, who have not beaten Chelsea since a 3-1 victory at Stamford Bridge in October 2015, suffered their second successive league defeat against 10-man Tottenham last weekend.
Hasenhuttl concedes his side will have to come close to their "highest level" to stand a chance against Frank Lampard's team, who have scored 11 goals in the last three matches.
"The first half will be very intense I think," said Hasenhuttl ahead of the fixture at St Mary's, live on Sky Sports Premier League.
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"Sometimes it can be a little wild because there is a team that is playing very quick in front and we do it the same. It can be sometimes a little unorganised or a little bit wild but this is what I expect."
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Chelsea kick-started their Champions League campaign in midweek with a 2-1 victory at Lille as Tammy Abraham continued his fine goalscoring form and Hasenhuttl is impressed with the talent in the Blues squad.
"It is a very strong team. It is a team that is young, hungry, with good committed [players], a good spirit so if you want to get something you really have to come very close to the highest level you can perform at," Hasenhuttl added.
"This is the goal for us on Sunday. They have high quality in every position, a lot of young players now in the team. It is not a coincidence that they won the last three games, including in the Champions League, so they are in good shape at the moment."
Hasenhuttl insists his side can take confidence from their draw against Manchester United in August and believes his squad have proven to be adept at producing good performances against some of the leading clubs.
"It wasn't the easiest schedule [at home] against Liverpool, Manchester United and Bournemouth, which was the one we had the biggest chance to take something," he said.
"On Sunday we have a strong opponent but very often we have shown our best performance against really strong teams. This is what I demand from my players on Sunday."
