A trip to face a Chelsea team coming off arguably their best performance of the season is no small task for Southampton on Boxing Day, but give the strength of the team's away form Ralph Hasenhüttl has plenty of cause for encouragement as he takes his side to Stamford Bridge.
Both teams head into this afternoon's game in a positive frame of mind, with Saints excellent in their 3-1 win at Aston Villa last time out, while Frank Lampard's team were also particularly impressive in their 2-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur.
For Hasenhüttl, though, the prospect of a road trip is not a daunting one, no matter the opponent, with his side having picked up 11 points on the road already, putting them eighth in the Premier League's away form table.
"We took a lot of points there, three wins so far and two draws," he said. "It is still not easy there, but we go there with experience of the first game against them, which was not really good, and we have a short week now to prepare our team for what is coming up and it will be also a tactically interesting game for us."
Saints' support on the road is one of the reasons Hasenhüttl points to for their success, and he is encouraged by another large following heading to Stamford Bridge today.
"It's always a very positive signal for me if we are playing away and I only hear my fans, because the stands are calm and only our fans are singing, because we are having a good game and a good result in that moment," he said. "It helps us massively."
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