Chelsea will look to get their Premier League campaign back on track when they take on Bournemouth later today.
Chelsea are coming into the game against Bournemouth on the back of a narrow defeat against Nottingham Forest at home, and they will look to bounce back strongly. The away fans will be expecting a strong reaction from the players, and it remains to be seen whether they can step up and deliver.
The Blues are unbeaten in the last four meetings against Bournemouth, and they will be firm favourites heading into this contest as well. Despite a number of injury problems, Mauricio Pochettino has enough quality at his disposal to grind out all three points.
Bournemouth vs Chelsea Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
Chelsea will be without the services of Wesley Fofana, who is unlikely to return to action before the season ends. Christopher Nkunku is sidelined with a knee injury as well, and the 25-year-old is expected to return in December. Summer signing Romeo Lavia twisted his ankle during the international break and is expected to be out until the end of October.
Pochettino spoke about Lavia during his pre-match press conference, saying, “Romeo was training well last week, and in the international break, he twisted his ankle, so we are waiting for Monday to find out more. It’s a sad situation because he was nearly ready to be involved.”
Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile are ruled out for a few weeks with thigh injuries as well. On James, Pochettino said, “He is recovering well; I don’t know if he is close or not. We assess him every day, and he has started doing things on the pitch with the ball. Hopefully, he can be available before the next international break.”
Chelsea are likely to start in a 3-5-2 formation, with Robert Sanchez in goal. Axel Disasi, Thiago Silva and Levi Colwill will be the central defenders here. Malo Gusto and Ben Chilwell will start as the full-backs, and they will look to contribute offensively as well as protect the central defenders.
In the middle of the park, Moises Caicedo will start as the defensive midfielder with Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher adding control and drive to the side on either side of him. Finally, Raheem Sterling will start alongside Nicolas Jackson in the final third.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Disasi, Silva, Colwill; Gusto, Gallagher, Caicedo, Fernandez, Chilwell; Sterling, Jackson
