CHELSEA manager Thomas Tuchel insisted “I have a lot of respect” for Ralph Hasenhuttl, stating Saints teams have “his fingerprints are all over” them.

The German boss faced Hasenhuttl three times alone last season with an EFL Cup tie in October, the Blues eventually running out winners in all three meetings.

As did Hasenhuttl, Tuchel arrived in the Premier League from the Bundesliga – where he was the boss of giants Borussia Dortmund.

Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s visit to St Mary’s, Champions League-winner Tuchel reserved some kind words for his Saints counterpart.

"I have a lot of respect for Ralph, and we have played against each other a lot of times,” Tuchel said.

“He is a very nice person and a very good coach, and his fingerprints are all over this Southampton team every year.

"He will be very friendly before the match, but during the match, he will not be friendly with us.

“Don't make the mistake, he is a competitor as we are. We will fight it out but always with fair play. It will be better to be on the sideline than in the stands."

Tuchel had been serving a touchline ban after he was sent off during the recent ‘Battle of the Bridge’ – the fiery meeting with Tottenham Hotspur.

In the meantime, he has been taking in the performances of Saints as part of his preparations.

"I had the chance to watch the game of Southampton (against Manchester United) live and saw a very strong side,” Tuchel added.

“They had a huge turnaround at Leicester to win the game, and you could see they gained a lot of confidence from it.

“They conceded, but they had a lot of touches in the box, a lot of shots against Manchester United and were very mobile upfront.

"What you can always expect in Southampton is a physical game, a running game, a high-intensity game. This is what it is. We need to recover well and be well prepared to repeat what we did last season."

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