Chelsea will travel to Bournemouth for their Premier League game on Sunday looking to bounce back from the disappointing defeat against Nottingham Forest last time out.
Chelsea were beaten by Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge, and the fans will expect a strong reaction from the players against Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon. The certainly have the better team here, and they will be expected to emerge victorious in the end.
It has been a disappointing start to the Premier League campaign for the Blues, and they have picked up just one win from four league matches while sitting 12th in the league table. A club of their stature should be pushing for major trophies, and it remains to be seen whether Mauricio Pochettino can get his side firing once again.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth are 16th in the league table, having failed to win a single league game so far. They will look to pull off a morale-boosting victory at home against an inconsistent Chelsea side.
The Cherries are unbeaten in their last two matches across all competitions, and they will look to grind out a positive result here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
The latest team news ahead of #BOUCHE ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/rpscD7Voj2
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) September 16, 2023
The home side have a number of injury issues to deal with. They will be without Alex Scott, who has been ruled out with the knee injury. Tyler Adams is sidelined with a thigh issue, while Ryan Fredericks and Emiliano Marcondes are long-term absentees with foot injuries.
The Cherries are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Neto in goal. Max Aarons and Milos Kerkez will be deployed as the full-backs, and they will look to contain the Chelsea wingers and protect the central defenders. In the heart of the defence, Illia Zabarnyi will start alongside Marcos Senesi.
Philip Billing will start in the midfield pivot alongside Joe Rothwell. The two players will look to add physicality and defensive cover to the midfield. Luis Sinisterra and Antoine Semenyo will be deployed as the wingers here.
The wide-attacking duo will look to create counter-attacking opportunities for the home side. Finally, Ryan Christie is likely to be the central attacking midfielder here, with Dominic Solanke leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neto; Aarons, Senesi, Zabarrnyi, Kerkez; Billing, Rothwell; Sinisterra, Christie, Semenyo; Solanke
Chelsea
The Blues will be without the services of Wesley Fofana and Christopher Nkunku due to knee injuries. Romeo Lavia is an absentee as well with an ankle injury. Meanwhile, Carney Chukwuemeka, Armando Broja and Marcus Bettinelli are all sidelined with knee injuries, and they are expected back in action next month.
Watch Mauricio Pochettino preview #BouChe LIVE! https://t.co/azvxyMZukv
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 15, 2023
Reece James is sidelined with a thigh injury along with Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah. The Blues are likely to line up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Robert Sanchez in goal. Axel Disasi, Thiago Silva and Levi Colwill will be deployed in a back three.
Malo Gusto and Ben Chilwell will start as the full-backs here, 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. Finally, Raheem Sterling will lead the line for Chelsea along with Nicolas Jackson.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sanchez; Disasi, Silva, Colwill; Gusto, Gallagher, Caicedo, Fernandez, Chilwell; Sterling, Jackson
Key Stats
- Bournemouth have lost four of their six Premier League home fixtures versus Chelsea, with their only win being 4-0 in January 2019,
- Chelsea have scored at least two goals in their last four matches against Bournemouth in all competitions.
- Chelsea have won their last three matches against Bournemouth in all competitions.
- 18 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two sides.
- Bournemouth have conceded ten goals in their last five matches across all competitions.
Player to Watch
Enzo Fernandez
The Argentine midfielder was outstanding in his last three appearances against Luton Town, AFC Wimbledon and Nottingham Forest. Chelsea will need him to step up in order to dominate the contest and create goalscoring opportunities. The 22-year-old has already established himself as a key player for Mauricio Pochettino, and he is our key man to watch out for.
Prediction
Bournemouth 1-2 Chelsea
Neither side is in particularly good form right now. But Chelsea have enough quality and depth to grind out a result here. This is likely to be a close contest, but the Blues should be able to edge this one. While the visitors have a number of injury problems, they have the resources at their disposal to deal with a struggling Bournemouth side. A narrow 2-1 away win is on the cards here.
