Southampton held firm against Chelsea’s challenge for 45 minutes of Sunday’s FA Cup semifinal at Wembley Stadium.
Well, 45 minutes and 27 seconds.
[ RECAP: Arsenal 4-1 West Ham ]
The first long ball of the second half saw Chelsea’s Eden Hazard leap to trap, and the Belgian played a quick ball forward to his striker.
That’s Olivier Giroud, who dribbled between two defenders and Saints goalkeeper Alex McCarthy to stab home with the outside of his right foot.
Check out the EPL betting odds for the games in Matchweek 34, as the Premier League return continues with games coming thick and fast.
[ MORE: New PL TV schedule ]
Take a look below at the odds for the Premier League games in midweek, as the action has resumed following the suspension on March 13 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Click on the link above to watch all of the games live via our platforms here at NBC Sports, while below are the individual EPL betting odds for each game via DraftKings.
[ MORE: Prince-Wright’s Premier League predictions ]
Also, click play on the video above to watch my predictions for the games and where you should focus your attention this weekend as the Premier League action continues to come right at us.
Tuesday, July 7: (+650) Crystal Palace v. Chelsea (-220), Tie: +335
Tuesday, July 7: (-152) Watford v. Norwich (+440), Tie: +285
Tuesday, July 7: (+125) Arsenal v. Leicester (+220), Tie: +245
Wednesday, July 8: (-835) Man City v. Newcastle (+2000), Tie: +245
Wednesday, July 8: (+310) Sheffield United v. Wolves (+107), Tie: +210
Wednesday, July 8: (+104) West Ham v. Burnley (+285), Tie: +235
Wednesday, July 8: (+510) Brighton v. Liverpool (-182), Tie: +320
Thursday, July 9: (+100) Everton v. Southampton (+270), Tie: +255
Thursday, July 9: (+425) Bournemouth v. Tottenham (-157), Tie: +310
Thursday, July 9: (+900) Aston Villa v. Man United (-315), Tie: +420
Crystal Palace – Chelsea promises to be an intriguing clash at Selhurst Park on Tuesday (start time, 1pm ET on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com) in a London derby.
Christian Pulisic continues to be the main man for Chelsea as the USMNT star put in another superb display in their 3-0 win against Watford and the Blues remain on track to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League.
CRYSTAL PALACE – CHELSEA STREAM LIVE
As for Palace, they have lost their last three games on the trot without scoring and Roy Hodgson’s side look destined for a midtable finish.
Below is everything you need to know ahead of Crystal Palace – Chelsea on Tuesday.
Palace will be without James Tomkins, Jeffrey Schlupp and Martin Kelly, while Hodgson may bring back Cheikhou Kouyate, Scott Dann and James McCarthy as they were rested.
Chelsea will be without N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic through injury, as Fikayo Tomori is also out.
Roy Hodgson on facing Chelsea: “They a very, very good team with many, many good players and, irrespective of our own position in this moment in time, all we can do is prepare for it, get ready for it and look forward to it – I do look forward to it, and I know all the players are looking forward to the game. I know we will do our best, work very hard and make life as difficult for them as possible. But we 100% aware of all the challenges, with the quality that they have, that they’re going to present us.”
Frank Lampard on the threat of Man United to their place in the top four: “They’re closest, they’re a very strong team, they’re in great form for a long period of time. They have got really good individual players. You have seen the momentum they have gained across their front three, all scoring, lots of goals. They’re the biggest threat from behind, but this is the Premier League. It looks that way today, but it’s how each team finishes the season.”
Crystal Palace are huge underdogs (+650) as Chelsea (-220) are the red-hot favorites given their three wins from their first four games of the restart. The tie at +335 is where the value is at because as we saw with Chelsea’s shock defeat at West Ham last week, they can be dominated from set pieces and hit on the counter. Those two aspects are huge strengths of Palace’s game.
We are all expecting a Chelsea win here but don’t be surprised if Wilfried Zaha has a day at makes it a very tough outing for this leaky Chelsea defense. Palace have been fired up and shocked Chelsea before but I think the Blues, led by Pulisic, have too much for Palace. 3-1 to Chelsea.
In the latest Premier League transfer news Kai Havertz to Chelsea continues to gather steam, while Allan Saint-Maximin is linked with a move to Arsenal.
[ MORE: New PL TV schedule ]
Starting in west London, Kai Havertz continues to be linked with Chelsea and a report from the Daily Express says that Frank Lampard is willing to sell six players to sign the Bayer Leverkusen and Germany 21-year-old.
Per the report, Marcos Alonso, Michy Batshuayi, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Kenedy, Danny Drinkwater and Emerson Palmeri are the players Chelsea want to offload in order to afford a move for Havertz, plus bring in a new left back.
Havertz has been a star for Leverkusen during the 2019-20 season but they just missed out on qualifying for the Champions League and lost in the German Cup final at the weekend. Havertz is due to play for Bayer in the UEFA Europa League in August, but will he be a Chelsea player by then?
With Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech joining Chelsea this summer, Lampard has a host of attacking options to choose from but Havertz is seen as one of the top young attacking midfield talents and he can also play as a false nine. Chelsea would have to spend close to $112 million to sign him but if they can replace quantity with quality, this has to be the way to go for Lampard.
Chelsea are in a strong financial position given the money they saved during their FIFA transfer ban and with the market values currently low due to the coronavirus pandemic, they have pounced to sign Werner and Ziyech.
Switching to north London, Allan Saint-Maximin has been linked with a move to Arsenal once again. Saint-Maximin, 23, has been sensational since arriving at Newcastle from Nice last summer for $19 million.
The French winger is full of tricks and flicks and his unpredictability is key to his success, with four goals and four assists in all competitions.
According to a report from Le10 Sport in France, Arsenal are among the clubs trying to sign him this summer with Tottenham and Napoli also in the running. It is reported that Arsenal have contacted Saint-Maximin’s agents to see what he thinks about a move to north London.
With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette potentially leaving this summer, Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Martinelli, Nicolas Pepe and Bukayo Saka would be Arsenal’s main attacking threats, so they could do with some reinforcements in this area. Especially as Mesut Ozil appears to be out of Mikel Arteta’s plans.
Saint-Maximin certainly has the talent to be a main main on a top six team in the Premier League. Could we see his famous Gucci headband and somersaults coming to the Emirates Stadium?
Here is your MLS schedule for the Orlando tournament in July with details on how to watch the action, as well as full details for their ‘MLS is Back’ tournament in Orlando in July, with all 26 teams taking part at the Wide World of Sports complex at the Disney resort.
[ MORE: All of PST’s MLS coverage ]
The tournament will kick off on July 8 with a group stage, then the Round of 16 will take place on July 25-28, the quarterfinals on July 30-August 1, semifinals on August 5-6 and the final on August 11.
Check out the MLS schedule for the Orlando tournament in full below, with MLS how to watch details too as this competition will see MLS return after four months off.
Essentially, this is a World Cup tournament between the 26 MLS teams, as the league also revealed that the regular season would continue at home MLS stadiums after the tournament as strict protocols to deal with the coronavirus pandemic will be in place.
Here are some key details on the “MLS is back” tournament and how to watch MLS, as how teams perform will be rewarded with CCL spots, prize money and more:
MLS commissioner Don Garber also revealed that the league will honor George Floyd and they are deeply committed to addressing issues of racial injustice, violence against the black community and inequality.
“The opportunity to have all 26 clubs in a controlled environment enables us to help protect the health of our players, coaches and staff as we return to play,” Garber said. “We also recognize that the death of George Floyd and others has focused our country on issues of racial injustice, inequality and violence against black men and women. Together with our owners, players and staff, the League and its Clubs are deeply committed to creating meaningful and impactful programs to address these issues that have plagued our society for far too long.”
The stage is set. Who takes it all? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/u5jDSUItCi
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 11, 2020
The 26 MLS teams will be split into six groups, with Orlando City, Atlanta United, Los Angeles Football Club, Seattle Sounders FC, Toronto FC and Real Salt Lake listed as top seeds (the four MLS Cup semifinalists from last season, plus hosts Orlando City and RSL where the next-highest points finisher from last season). Nashville will be moved into the Eastern Conference for the remainder of the 2020 season to make this format possible.
Here are some more details on dates and specifics for the tournament, with how to watch the MLS games as the draw for the group stage and bracket is above and the MLS schedule in Orlando is below in full.
| Wednesday, 8 July 2020 | |||||
| Time/Result | Home | Away | Venue | ||
| 8:00 PM ET | Orlando City SC | Inter Miami CF | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 10:30 PM ET | Nashville SC | Chicago | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| Thursday, 9 July 2020 | |||||
| Time/Result | Home | Away | Venue | ||
| 9:00 AM ET | New York City FC | Philadelphia | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 8:00 PM ET | Montreal | New England | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 10:30 PM ET | FC Dallas | Vancouver | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| Friday, 10 July 2020 | |||||
| Time/Result | Home | Away | Venue | ||
| 8:00 PM ET | Toronto FC | D.C. | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 10:30 PM ET | Seattle | San Jose | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| Saturday, 11 July 2020 | |||||
| Time/Result | Home | Away | Venue | ||
| 8:00 PM ET | Atlanta | New York | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 10:30 PM ET | FC Cincinnati | Columbus | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| Sunday, 12 July 2020 | |||||
| Time/Result | Home | Away | Venue | ||
| 8:00 PM ET | Sporting KC | Minnesota | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 10:30 PM ET | Real Salt Lake | Colorado | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| Monday, 13 July 2020 | |||||
| Time/Result | Home | Away | Venue | ||
| 8:00 PM ET | Los Angeles FC | Houston | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 10:30 PM ET | Los Angeles | Portland | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| Tuesday, 14 July 2020 | |||||
| Time/Result | Home | Away | Venue | ||
| 9:00 AM ET | Inter Miami CF | Chicago | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 8:00 PM ET | Philadelphia | Nashville SC | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 10:30 PM ET | Orlando City SC | New York City FC | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| Wednesday, 15 July 2020 | |||||
| Time/Result | Home | Away | Venue | ||
| 9:00 AM ET | Seattle | FC Dallas | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 8:00 PM ET | Montreal | Toronto FC | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 10:30 PM ET | Vancouver | San Jose | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| Thursday, 16 July 2020 | |||||
| Time/Result | Home | Away | Venue | ||
| 9:00 AM ET | Atlanta | FC Cincinnati | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 8:00 PM ET | D.C. | New England | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 10:30 PM ET | Columbus | New York | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| Friday, 17 July 2020 | |||||
| Time/Result | Home | Away | Venue | ||
| 8:00 PM ET | Sporting KC | Colorado | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 10:30 PM ET | Real Salt Lake | Minnesota | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| Saturday, 18 July 2020 | |||||
| Time/Result | Home | Away | Venue | ||
| 8:00 PM ET | Portland | Houston | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 10:30 PM ET | Los Angeles FC | Los Angeles | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| Sunday, 19 July 2020 | |||||
| Time/Result | Home | Away | Venue | ||
| 8:00 PM ET | New York City FC | Chicago | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 10:30 PM ET | Philadelphia | Inter Miami CF | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| Monday, 20 July 2020 | |||||
| Time/Result | Home | Away | Venue | ||
| 9:00 AM ET | Orlando City SC | Nashville SC | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 8:00 PM ET | FC Dallas | San Jose | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 10:30 PM ET | Seattle | Vancouver | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| Tuesday, 21 July 2020 | |||||
| Time/Result | Home | Away | Venue | ||
| 9:00 AM ET | Toronto FC | New England | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 8:00 PM ET | Atlanta | Columbus | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 10:30 PM ET | Montreal | D.C. | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| Wednesday, 22 July 2020 | |||||
| Time/Result | Home | Away | Venue | ||
| 9:00 AM ET | Real Salt Lake | Sporting KC | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 8:00 PM ET | FC Cincinnati | New York | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 10:30 PM ET | Colorado | Minnesota | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| Thursday, 23 July 2020 | |||||
| Time/Result | Home | Away | Venue | ||
| 8:00 PM ET | Los Angeles | Houston | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
| 10:30 PM ET | Los Angeles FC | Portland | Disney Wide World of Sports Complex | ||
Tournament: MLS is Back tournament in Orlando
Channels: ESPN, Fox Sports
Dates: July 8 to August 11