After a two-week hiatus, Chelsea will resume league football this Sunday when they travel to Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth.
Despite the spending gap between both sides, they are separated by just two points on the Premier League table, with Bournemouth still without a win in two games (D2, L2), while Chelsea has one win and two losses (D1).
But who will come out on top when both sides meet at the Vitality Stadium?
Pre-match Stats
- Bournemouth have won just one of their last seven PL games at home (D1, L5).
- They have only ever won two H2Hs on home turf (D1 L6).
- The Cherries have not kept a clean sheet in their last ten games.
- Chelsea have kept just one clean sheet in their last 15 competitive games.
- They have lost their last three away league games.
- The Blues have won just two PL games since early March 2023.
- Chelsea haven’t trailed at the break in the PL this term (HT: W1, D3), while Bournemouth haven’t led (HT: D2, L2).
- In 12 PL games between both sides, Chelsea have won seven times, scoring 20 goals, while Bournemouth have four wins (D1), scoring 14 goals.
Match Preview
Bournemouth will look to get their first win of the season when they welcome Chelsea to Vitality Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Cherries have had a shaky start to the season, losing two and drawing two times despite some battling performances. New manager Andoni Iraola would have used the international break to think over the last-gasp equaliser that cost his side a first Premier League win of the season against Brentford (D 2-2).
The Spanish coach, who joined Bournemouth this summer highly recommended, also admitted his side was “struggling” in the closing stages. They are now one point worse off than they were after four games last term and two worse than their relegation campaign of 2019/20.
Therefore, they desperately need to pick up some points at home. But given that they have won just one of their last seven PL games here (D1, L5), prospects for immediate improvement seem relatively poor.
But Chelsea’s form could offer encouragement to optimistic Bournemouth fans, with the Blues also enjoying a poor start to the season. Despite their heavy summer spending, Mauricio Pochettino’s side have just one win and two losses, which came against ten-man West Ham and Nottingham just before the international break.
Apart from bad results in the field, things have not gone so well for Pochhettino away from the pitch, where he is struggling with varying injuries. New signing Roméo Lavia recently suffered an ankle injury that saw him join the likes of Christopher Nkunku and Wesley Fofana on a lengthy injury list.
However, Chelsea has ample reserves to call on, and the mood at the club remains positive despite just one PL win this term (D1, L2). They travel to Bournemouth aiming to avoid losing four consecutive league away games for the first time since December 2000.
Team News
Andoni Iraola will be without Ryan Fredericks, Emiliano Marcondes and Alex Scott for this tie. But summer signing Tyler Adams could make his debut this weekend.
Meanwhile, Pochettino has a lot of injury worries, with the aforementioned trio of Lavia, Nkunku, and Fofana joined by Marcus Bettinelli, Reece James, Carney Chukwuemeka, Beniot Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah on the treatment table.
Predicted Lineups
Predicted Bournemouth Lineup: Neto, Max Aarons, Illia Zabarnyi, Lloyd Kelly, Milos Kerkez, Ryan Christie, Lewis Cook, David Brooks, Philip Billing, Marcus Tavernier, Dominic Solanke.
Predicted Chelsea Lineup: Robert Sanchez, Axel Disasi, Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill, Malo Gusto, Ben Chilwell, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Conor Gallagher, Raheem Sterling, Nicolas Jackson.
