
Date: Tuesday 14th January 2025
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Kick-off: 19:30 GMT
We impressed no-one in the first half against Morecambe at the weekend but fortunately got our act together in the second half for a more convincing 5-0 win at the finish.
Tonight, its back to the Premier League and we play host to Bournemouth, who also had a decent win in the FA Cup, beating West Brom 5-1, to record their ninth game unbeaten. That puts our recent form to shame, with a return of just 2 points from the last 12 available to leave us clinging on to fourth place by just 1 point.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, haven’t lost since November and are on an eight-game unbeaten run in the Premier League coming into today’s game and they aren’t doing badly away from home either. They are carrying some injuries right now and haven’t beaten us in the last six meetings but let’s be clear, this is going to be a tough game.
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MANAGER’S VIEWS
Going into tonight’s game, Enzo Maresca, says “More or less a similar one in terms of they are intense. It is quite clear what they want to do on and off the ball. On the ball, they are quite direct and have players up front that are very strong, physically and they are quick. Off the ball, they are intense, they are most of the time on the opposite side man-to-man. It will be a tough game.”
Bournemouth manager, Andoni Iraola, meanwhile, says “I think we deserved probably much more [at the Vitality Stadium]. But it’s going to be even more difficult because even playing well and doing a lot of good things, we were not even able to obtain any points. So, we will have to be better this time. We are playing away, it’s a very, very good team. I think everywhere you see, every stat you check, they are playing very well. So it will need from us a very, very, very good performance and obviously improve probably our finishing from the past game. They have a lot of players who can interpret different roles and he uses them and he goes changing their roles even during the game. So, I think we will have to be prepared for different structures and I hope we are ready.
It’s not difficult to understand what they do. It’s difficult to stop them because they also take what you give them. If you press them certain way, they will exploit some spaces. If you press them a different way, they will take whatever you give them because they are a very good team. So, we will have to go adjusting things live and I think it’s going to be challenging for us, but I hope also challenging for them because also we have good threats and I hope we can deal with the game to a similar way that we did against them when we played them.”
SQUAD NEWS
For Chelsea, Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall remain out, and Mykhaylo Mudryk is suspended. Romeo Lavia and Reece James are available, and Noni Madueke has also recovered from the illness that kept him out at the weekend.
For Bournemouth, Evanilson (metatarsal), Enes Unal (knee), Marcos Senesi (thigh), Julian Araujo (thigh), Alex Scott (knee), Marcus Tavernier (thigh), Luis Sinisterra (thigh) and Adam Smith (unspecified) are all out and Kepa Arrizabalaga is ineligible. Ryan Christie could return after illness.
TEAMS
CHELSEA (Possible line-up): Sanchez; Gusto, Acheampong, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Sancho, Palmer, Neto; Jackson
BOURNEMOUTH (Possible line-up): Travers; Hill, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Christie, Cook; Brooks, Kluivert, Ouattara; Semenyo
LAST SEASON
Chelsea 2-1 Bournemouth (19th May 2024)
CURRENT FORM (PL)
Chelsea: WWDLLD
Bournemouth: WDWDDW
OTHER STUFF
- Chelsea are unbeaten in the past six meetings (W4, D2).
- There were a Premier League record 14 yellow cards when Chelsea beat Bournemouth 1-0 in the reverse fixture last August.
- Chelsea are winless in four league games (D2, L2), having won their previous five in a row.
- The Blues have kept just one clean sheet at home in this season’s top flight.
- Chelsea have scored fewer goals at home than away in this season’s Premier League, with an average of 1.7 goals a game at Stamford Bridge compared to 2.1 away.
- Christopher Nkunku has been involved in 16 goals in his last 12 starts for Chelsea in all competitions, scoring 12 and assisting four.
- Bournemouth are on a club record eight-match unbeaten run in the Premier League (W5, D3).
- The team’s tally of 33 points is their best after 20 games of a Premier League season, and seven points more than their previous highest total at this stage.
- The Cherries have won three of their past four league away games, and have scored at least two goals in each of their five most recent top-flight fixtures on the road.
- They have scored six more goals in their 10 Premier League away matches this season than they have in the same number of games at the Vitality Stadium.
PREDICTION
Sportsmole: Chelsea 3-1 Bournemouth
