While the Blues still managed to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition thanks to the draw between Schalke 04 and Steaua Bucharest, Chelsea will need to take charge of their own fate when they host a very impressive Southampton side on Sunday.
The Saints are the surprise package of the Premier League season thus far, and sit just two points behind third-placed Chelsea. Under Mauricio Pochettino, Southampton have enjoyed great success with their high-energy pressing game and will undoubtedly look to use that against Mourinho’s men.
Following the defeat to Basel, the Chelsea boss cited fatigue as his main concern of late, and outlined a rotation plan as he plans for a busy few weeks, which sees the Blues play nine fixtures over the next month.
“It's not a question of punishment, it's a question of using the squad and the options we have and to make changes when we have so many consecutive matches,” he said.
Two players who will definitely not feature are David Luiz and Samuel Eto’o, with the pair suffering knee and groin injuries respectively. However, with away trips to Sunderland and Stoke next up, Mourinho will not want to field a wholly understrength side, as he looks to keep up the pressure on Arsenal – who could be seven points clear come Sunday.
While Chelsea looked a little shaky in their last home match against West Brom, they boast one of the more impressive home records in the league, having picked up 38 of the last 42 points on offer at Stamford Bridge.
Nevertheless, memories of Southampton’s 2-2 draw in SW6 last season will still linger and Mourinho will need to be smart in his selection.
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