Chelsea face no choice but to stop their slide down the Premier League table this week. Their task could not be much simpler.

Southampton have won just twice this season and are yet to go beyond Derby County's record low of just 11 Premier League points. With 12 matches left and no sign of an upturn in form, not even the managerial change of Ivan Juric has been able to get things moving in the right direction.

For Enzo Maresca, the visit of this relegation-bound team could not come at a better moment. Chelsea's next two opponents are the worst in the division with comfortably the leakiest defences. As the Blues look to win a Premier League game for just the third time in 2025, there will be no excuses.

Injuries to key players have left Maresca with his hands tied behind his back but that did not stop them from taking an early lead at Aston Villa. A largely improved display was then mostly beside the point when Marco Asensio volleyed in to take all three points in the 90th minute thanks to Filip Jorgensen's massive error.

Will Maresca stick or twist with the XI that definitely had their chances in the Midlands? Here, football.london selects a team to face Southampton at Stamford Bridge.

Tom Coley

Chelsea don't have many senior options to swap things about but facing Southampton is the ideal time to try something new. Chelsea shouldn't need a rest after coming off the back of a free midweek and facing another seven days without match action, Maresca could still ring the changes.

In goal Jorgensen keeps his place. This is mainly because Robert Sanchez is no more reliable and made for more errors before being dropped. Chelsea don't have a solid No.1 right now, though.

Trevoh Chalobah is out so Tosin Adarabioyo comes into defence, as he did at Villa Park, but it's Josh Acheampong to his right. Ideally he would be at centre-back but Malo Gusto is not in good form and needs taking out of the firing line.

Levi Colwill and Marc Cucurella have been okay, if nothing more, in recent weeks. They both need the confidence of a healthy win.

Into midfield and there isn't loads of room or alternatives available. Reece James will surely need a rest so isn't at right-back or involved here. He can't play two games in a week yet. That leaves Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez to stretch their hamstrings some more.

Cole Palmer could play in his No.10 role ahead of the pair but he looks like a player in need of help. Maybe, here, he can start on the bench and be used if absolutely necessary. It would be a strong message after his poor body language in recent weeks. Kiano Dyer and Sam Rak-Sak are readymade academy players who more than good enough to feature at this level and would add something different.

Dyer is deserving of an opportunity, in particular. Chelsea could also put him alongside Acheampong and Tyrique George in a Cobham-founded team. The winger needs to get a chance here after Christopher Nkunku continued to be peripheral on Saturday.

If Mykhailo Mudryk was available then this is the sort of game he would be playing in. George should be taking all of his minutes and more, so certainly goes in for Tuesday.

He may have to make do with a spot on the right due to Pedro Neto remaining through the middle as the best choice No.9 currently. Jadon Sancho returns to the left but could swap with George.

Tom's XI: Jorgensen; Acheampong, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo, Dyer; George, Neto, Sancho.

READ MORE: Chelsea star shines again, £40m transfer message and the bizarre Joao Felix comments

READ MORE: Why Reece James shouted at Moises Caicedo and the new Chelsea player nobody has noticed

READ MORE: Chelsea have already started three-year £78m transfer plan as Enzo Maresca U-turn speaks volumes

Bobby Vincent

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall starts. Yes. Hear me out...

I liked the shape Chelsea had the other day but I don't think James can play twice in four days at the moment. He won't be risked, surely. There are not many other midfielders available, so I would start Dewsbury-Hall alongside Caicedo and allow Fernandez to push up to the No.10 position.

If he can't start at home to bottom-of-the-table Southampton, then he hasn't got much chance at Stamford Bridge, has he?

Acheampong deserves to start. We haven't seen the 18-year-old for a bit of time now and while he would ideally start in the centre of defence, the situation going into the Saints game means that he may be better off on the right-hand side. Chalobah is out, of course, so Tosin will come in to partner Colwill at the heart of the Blues defence.

Unlike my colleague, I would start Palmer. He is out of form - there is no doubt about it but I believe he is just one goal away from potentially returning to his best. Southampton have been so, so poor defensively this season so there will not be a better opportunity for the England international to start firing in front of goal again.

I would like to see George come in for Nkunku, with the latter being disappointing recently. Neto did really well as the No.9 on Saturday evening, so it would be a tad counter-intuitive for Maresca to move away from that attacking line against the Saints.

Bobby's XI: Jorgensen; Acheampong, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Dewsbury-Hall; Palmer, Fernandez, George; Neto.