Southampton ‘hard to predict’, Lampard admits

Frank Lampard has admitted it is difficult for him to predict how Southampton will approach Sunday’s game against Chelsea.

Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side have been inconsistent this season and Blues boss Lampard has warned his players they will need to be “tip-top” at St Mary’s.

“A tough match. A very good manager and a very well organised team,” Lampard said when asked what he expected against the Saints.

He added: “They play different formations so it’s hard to predict how they might come at you, but they come at you with a lot of pace in the way they want to work off the ball and they have quality players.

“It’s always a very difficult place to go, especially if we’re not at it. You have to be tip-top to go there because there’s a lot of energy in their team and the crowd can get behind them if they play with the kind of intensity they have.

“So we need to match it, at least, because we want to keep the momentum going.”

Lampard will assess the fitness of N’Golo Kante before naming his line-up for Sunday’s match.