Chelsea are hunting a much-needed return to winning ways in the Premier League on Tuesday as they take on the high-flying Bournemouth.
Title talk has faded from west London quarters with the Blues winless in four league outings. Enzo Maresca’s side have been beaten by Fulham and Ipswich, and held by Everton and Crystal Palace during their barren run which has seen them slip to fourth in the table.
A 5-0 thumping of Morecambe in the FA Cup third round offered Chelsea some respite at the weekend, with centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo and luxury playmaker Joao Felix scoring braces in the comfortable triumph.
Bournemouth have been hard done by injuries to kick-off the new year, but Andoni Iraola’s side showed no signs of fading at the weekend as they battered West Brom 5-1 down on the south coast. The Cherries have enjoyed a superb season up to this point and currently sit seventh in the Premier League table.
A maiden European berth is within reach, and they’ll leapfrog Tuesday’s hosts with a memorable win at the Bridge.
Here is 90min’s guide to Chelsea vs Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Chelsea vs Bournemouth head-to-head Record (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Chelsea |
Bournemouth |
|---|---|
|
Chelsea 5-0 Morecambe – 11/01/25 |
Bournemouth 5-1 West Brom – 11/01/25 |
|
Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea – 04/01/25 |
Bournemouth 1-0 Everton – 04/01/25 |
|
Ipswich 2-0 Chelsea – 30/12/24 |
Fulham 2-2 Bournemouth – 29/12/24 |
|
Chelsea 1-2 Fulham – 26/12/24 |
Bournemouth 0-0 Crystal Palace – 26/12/24 |
|
Everton 0-0 Chelsea – 22/12/24 |
Man Utd 0-3 Bournemouth – 22/12/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
TNT Sports 3, discovery+, discovery+ app |
|
United States |
Peacock |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 3 Canada |
There was plenty of rotation from Maresca, who was able to welcome Reece James and Romeo Lavia back to the fold following spells on the sidelines, at the weekend. Both players started the cup tie on Saturday and are in contention to feature against the Cherries.
Malo Gusto is likely to come back in at right-back, while Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo are bound to partner up in the middle of the park.
Noni Madueke missed the Morecambe rout due to illness but could be welcomed back on Tuesday, with Pedro Neto potentially retaining his down the right flank.
Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are all absent.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson.
Bournemouth have been dealt a couple of devastating injury blows at the start of the new year, with Enes Unal tearing his ACL in training after they lost Evanilson to a long-term foot injury.
Impressive winger Antoine Semenyo will likely fill the void up top for the foreseeable.
Kepa Arrizabalaga is ineligible to play against his parent club on Tuesday, so Mark Travers will make a rare start between the sticks. Iraola is also without Alex Scott, Julian Araujo, Marcos Senesi, Adam Smith, Luis Sinisterra and Marcus Tavernier.
Bournemouth predicted lineup vs Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Travers; Aarons, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Christie, Cook; Brooks, Kluivert, Ouattara; Semenyo.
Bournemouth were last beaten on 23 November and mere confidence may have to get them through the upcoming period without Unal and Evanilson.
Given their injury woes, you have to project a Cherries crash at some point, and a possible downturn could begin in west London. Chelsea have been out of sorts over the past month, but the breathers offered to many of Maresca’s key names at the weekend should serve the hosts well heading into this fixture.
While Iraola’s side deserve immense credit for the run they’ve put together over the past couple of months, this feels like a get-right game for Chelsea.