Southampton's return to the Premier League this season means they will continue a long-standing head-to-head with Chelsea when they meet at St Mary's on Wednesday.
As two top-flight regulars for many decades, this is a fixture that has been played many times across numerous generations, and there is little to separate them across all of their historical meetings.
Here, Sports Mole goes back through the archives and looks at the history between the Saints and the Blues.
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Head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 95
Southampton wins: 26
Draws: 25
Chelsea wins: 44
Before the Premier League era, there was virtually nothing to separate the two sides in the head-to-head record, with 11 wins apiece and 10 draws in 32 encounters.
The first 15 of those meetings were often goal-laden, with 64 scored, but even though meetings are now slightly more cagey in comparison, it has still been an intriguing fixture.
Despite Chelsea becoming a huge force in English football post-1992, and more specifically after the Roman Abramovich takeover, Southampton have been no pushovers.
Chelsea have won 26 of the 48 meetings between the sides in the Premier League, but since a long-awaited return to the top flight in 2012, Chelsea have only managed four home wins in 11 matches.
At The Dell, and now St Mary's, Chelsea have enjoyed much more success, losing just two of their 15 trips since 2001, and winning six of their last eight at the new venue, including a 6-0 drubbing in 2022.
In Southampton's relegation season in 2004-05, Chelsea also won their first Premier League title under Jose Mourinho, notably conceding just 15 across the entire campaign, but despite losing both meetings, the Saints still managed to score in both matches, breaching one of the most stubborn rearguards in the league's history.
In 2022-23, Southampton were relegated again, but once more had some of their finest moments against Chelsea, completing a remarkable league double, with current Blues midfielder Romeo Lavia netting in a win at St Mary's, while James Ward-Prowse scored the solitary goal in a victory at Stamford Bridge.
While there is a lengthy league history between the clubs, they have also met in some important cup games over the years, proving especially crucial for Chelsea.
Southampton were one of the teams Chelsea beat in the 1997-98 League Cup, with Jody Morris's 118th-minute winner sending them through on their way to glory in that competition, and one of the first big successes they achieved before the unprecedented amount of honours they would go on to win during the Abramovich era.
Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata scored the two goals when Chelsea beat Southampton in the FA Cup semi-finals in 2018 - another competition the Blues would go on to win, defeating Manchester United in the subsequent final.
Last 20 meetings
Feb 18, 2023: Chelsea 0-1 Southampton (Premier League)
Aug 30, 2022: Southampton 2-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
Apr 09, 2022: Southampton 0-6 Chelsea (Premier League)
Oct 26, 2021: Chelsea 1-1 Southampton (EFL Cup Last 16)
Oct 02, 2021: Chelsea 3-1 Southampton (Premier League)
Feb 20, 2021: Southampton 1-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
Oct 17, 2020: Chelsea 3-3 Southampton (Premier League)
Dec 26, 2019: Chelsea 0-2 Southampton (Premier League)
Oct 06, 2019: Southampton 1-4 Chelsea (Premier League)
Jan 02, 2019: Chelsea 0-0 Southampton (Premier League)
Oct 07, 2018: Southampton 0-3 Chelsea (Premier League)
Apr 22, 2018: Chelsea 2-0 Southampton (FA Cup Semi-Finals)
Apr 14, 2018: Southampton 2-3 Chelsea (Premier League)
Dec 16, 2017: Chelsea 1-0 Southampton (Premier League)
Apr 25, 2017: Chelsea 4-2 Southampton (Premier League)
Oct 30, 2016: Southampton 0-2 Chelsea (Premier League)
Feb 27, 2016: Southampton 1-2 Chelsea (Premier League)
Oct 03, 2015: Chelsea 1-3 Southampton (Premier League)
Mar 15, 2015: Chelsea 1-1 Southampton (Premier League)
Dec 28, 2014: Southampton 1-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
Last 10 Premier League meetings
Feb 18, 2023: Chelsea 0-1 Southampton (Premier League)
Aug 30, 2022: Southampton 2-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
Apr 09, 2022: Southampton 0-6 Chelsea (Premier League)
Oct 02, 2021: Chelsea 3-1 Southampton (Premier League)
Feb 20, 2021: Southampton 1-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
Oct 17, 2020: Chelsea 3-3 Southampton (Premier League)
Dec 26, 2019: Chelsea 0-2 Southampton (Premier League)
Oct 06, 2019: Southampton 1-4 Chelsea (Premier League)
Jan 02, 2019: Chelsea 0-0 Southampton (Premier League)
Oct 07, 2018: Southampton 0-3 Chelsea (Premier League)
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