After four consecutive league games, it is two cup matches in a row for the Blues, beginning with the start of this season's FA Cup campaign. This is Chelsea's first visit to St Mary's in eight years as we defend the FA Cup for the seventh time in our history.

The Blues have an immensely proud record in this competition in recent times, winning it in three of the last four seasons. Only Tottenham (eight times, most recent 1991), Arsenal (10, 2005) and Manchester United (11, 2004) have won the world's most fabled competition for football clubs more times.

Few teams have flown the FA Cup flag around the world as widely as Chelsea, especially across Europe, Africa and South America. Players from Brazil, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Spain and Uruguay have been involved in winning finals with Chelsea since 1997, becoming ambassadors for the tournament.

'When you are a foreigner watching English football and you see that red carpet and the managers with the big flower,' 2000 trophy-winner Gustavo Poyet said recently, 'any player who comes to England is thinking that if they're lucky enough, they will be able to play once in the FA Cup final. So to be able to play in one and win it is even better.

'I say this coming from Uruguay, where there is no cup and from Spain where there is the Copa Del Rey, but the FA Cup is the greatest cup in the world.'

Other overseas Blues would concur: Didier Drogba, for example, became the first player to score in four FA Cup finals, winning on each occasion, including the first at the new Wembley in 2007.
Equally Ruud Gullit: no overseas manager had lifted the old trophy before he claimed it in 1997.

The Italian forward Gianfranco Zola danced a jig of delight on the pitch at the end of that game - and his Watford side square up to 2011 winners Manchester City this weekend.

Rafael Benitez might be forgiven for pondering the club's priorities over the next week, with a Capital One Cup semi-final first leg –Swansea- coming in midweek, ahead of a testy league trip to Stoke on Saturday.

Some of his players looked jaded and lacked intensity in the defeat at home to QPR, which saw the Blues remain in fourth place. That match was the 11th in 35 days for the Chelsea squad, which has fewer playing personnel than any Premier League rival this season.

There have also been injuries and suspensions to the likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard, David Luiz, John Mikel Obi and Oriol Romeu over the same period. As a result, new striker Demba Ba, who is cup-tied for the Europa League, may be called into action straight away at the Dell. Midfielder Yossi Benayoun has also returned from loan.

Probable underdogs Southampton enjoyed an unbeaten Christmas campaign but manager Nigel Adkins indicated that Premier League survival is his overriding concern in the team selection for their Capital One Cup match at Leeds in October.
He made 11 changes from the side that played Spurs the previous Sunday and the Saints were beaten 0-3. However, with his team having more recovery and preparation time than a bruised Chelsea side he may scent victory and keep his changes to a minimum.

If the scores are level after 90 minutes there will be a replay at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday 16 January, kick off 7.45pm, subject to any TV selection.

The draw for the FA Cup fourth round is on Sunday at around 3.30pm and will be broadcast live on ITV 1 and FATV.


- Match preview by chelseafc.com