Chelsea FC hosts AFC Bournemouth in Round 15 of the English Premier League on Saturday, as they look to build on last week’s result.
The defending champions have been struggling to find their irrepressible form from last season, but will look for all three points when the Blues welcome newly promoted side AFC Bournemouth to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Chelsea FC, currently on a three match unbeaten run, seems to have recovered some semblance of form and will be looking to build on it after they managed to hold on to a goalless draw against Tottenham Hotspurs last week.
The Blues, in past seasons, have had poor records in the months of November and December and the manager Jose Mourinho was quoted as saying by the . club website that this season would prove to be different as he hopes to put the bad run behind them.
a We hope the bad run is behind us now. I have to be cautious and you dona t know what is waiting for you around the corner.
a We started doing that with bad results but good performances. We kept our faith, our stability, and our belief. Finally last week we got three positive results in a row and leta s try to build on that. This month of December can be a good month. We play four matches at home, three in the Premier League and one in the Champions League.a
Mourinho on injuries and Courtois
With the slight turnaround in results, Mourinho was again a happy man in the pre-match press conference at Cobham, as he broke the news of Thibaut Courtois recovering to full fitness but also shared the news of unavailability of John Terry, Ramires and Radamel Falcao.
a I was hoping everybody would be fit but ita s not possible. John, Ramires and Falcao are still out. Courtois is selected. I have to make a decision but clearly sooner or later he will be number one, so if he doesna t play against Bournemouth he will play against Porto.
a He was fundamental for us so ita s very important we have him back. To lose your number one for three months was hard for us.a
Considering the strength of the Chelsea FC squad, it was always expected that the Blues would soon turnaround their fortunes and ita d be interesting to see if Mourinho can build on his recent as they mount a late challenge for a spot in the lucrative top four spots.
While Asmir Begovic served as a decent backup, Courtois was always expected to regain his place as the first choice which might be quite harsh for the Bosnian, who performed admirably in the absence of the Belgian.