Sunday sees an encounter between two clubs who are desperate for a win as Bournemouth play host to Chelsea in the Premier League.
The international break may have offered some respite to the doom and gloom around both clubs, but the return of the Premier League will shine the spotlight back on the Cherries and the Blues.
Chelsea are in greater need of a victory this weekend having accumulated just four points from as many games this season. Inconsistent and generally underwhelming performances mean Mauricio Pochettino already finds himself under some pressure, with a tepid 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest last time out only exacerbating things.
Andoni Iraola is also facing questions in the Bournemouth dugout after making a slow start to life in English football. The south coast side are still searching for their first win in the Premier League having only managed two draws so far this campaign, including a rather fortuitous one in their recent 2-2 clash with Brentford.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s clash.
Bournemouth vs Chelsea H2H record (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, Sky Go UK, Sky Go Extra |
|
United States |
fuboTV, NBC Sports App, nbcsports.com, USA Network, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada |
Iraola still has a number of players sidelined for the Chelsea clash, including his new summer signings Alex Scott and Tyler Adams. The pair are yet to feature for Bournemouth despite making big-money moves and are likely to be in the treatment room for some time still.
Ryan Fredericks, Dango Ouattara and Emiliano Marcondes are all expected to be absent for Chelsea’s visit as well having already missed the entire season so far.
Iraola could be tempted to start summer loan signing Luis Sinisterra, however, although whether or not his lengthy travels with Colombia on international duty impact his availability remains to be seen.
Bournemouth predicted lineup vs Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Neto; Aarons, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Billing, Cook; Tavernier, Christie, Sinisterra; Solanke
Chelsea‘s injury list hasn’t eased up over the course of the international break, with a host of first-team players still sidelined.
Christopher Nkunku, Wesley Fofana and Carney Chukwuemeka are long-term absentees, while summer signing Romeo Lavia has also picked up an ankle injury that is likely to keep him out for some time.
Trevoh Chalobah will be missing for the trip to Bournemouth, as will Reece James, Benoit Badiashile and Armando Broja – the latter trio are all nearing returns to full fitness but Sunday’s clash may come a little too soon.
Pochettino is likely to stick with his 3-4-2-1 formation for another game, although he may be tempted to revert to a 4-2-3-1 to offer his side a little more structure.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Bournemouth (3-4-2-1): Sanchez; Disasi, Silva, Colwill; Gusto, Caicedo, Fernandez, Chilwell; Palmer, Sterling; Jackson
Chelsea remain a tough team to predict. On paper, their quality should make for a straightforward win at the Vitality this Sunday, but performances, and significantly results, have been subpar this season.
The same could be said of Iraola’s Bournemouth who still look incredibly exposed defensively, despite posing some decent attacking threat. While Chelsea have been guilty of missing opportunities, the Cherries won’t want to hand too many clear-cut chances to their talented visitors.
All in all, Chelsea should still find a way to win this game, even if it is not particularly pretty. Their superior quality should prevail, but Bournemouth do have the capacity to make life awkward for the Blues.
Score prediction: Bournemouth 1-2 Chelsea
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