Bournemouth and Chelsea will be desperate to return to winning ways when they clash at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.
The 2025/26 Premier League season resumes with Gameweek 15 on Saturday. The action on the day will start with the game between Aston Villa and Arsenal at Villa Park before continuing with five simultaneous matches, including Bournemouth vs Chelsea at the Vitality Stadium.
The first two months of the 2025/26 season suggested Bournemouth may mount a challenge to secure European qualification, giving most teams a run for their money. However, the campaign has gone pear-shaped in the last few weeks.
The Cherries have failed to win their last five top-flight outings (D1 L4), with the run of results taking them from second to 14th in the Premier League standings. So, Andoni Iraola will be eager to see his side return to winning ways this weekend amid the risk of being pulled into the relegation dogfight.
On the other hand, Chelsea’s impressive run ended earlier this week, as they crashed to a 3-1 loss to Leeds United at Elland Road. That brought an abrupt end to the Premier League title talk surrounding the West London club after the 1-1 draw with Arsenal last weekend. The Blues are now nine points behind the Gunners, and a title tilt looks unlikely.
The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 1-0 win for Chelsea, with Christopher Nkunku scoring the match-winning goal. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
Andoni Iraola has received a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Bournemouth manager will be bereft of the services of five first-team players vs Chelsea on Saturday.
Tyler Adams is the latest absentee, as his booking against Everton earned him a one-match ban. Lewis Cook is also serving a suspension, which will continue until next weekend. However, Marcos Senesi and David Brooks are available after missing the Everton clash due to their sanctions. Meanwhile, Matai Akinmboni (knock), Ryan Christie (knee), and Ben Doak (thigh) remain in the treatment room.
Djordje Petrovic is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Bournemouth lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Saturday. The backline will feature Alex Jimenez, Bafode Diakite, Marcos Senesi, and Adrien Truffert.
As for the midfield unit, Marcus Tavernier will likely line up alongside Alex Scott in the double pivot, with Justin Kluivert reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Evanilson will lead the line for Bournemouth against Chelsea, with Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Jimenez, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert; Scott, Tavernier; Brooks, Kluivert, Semenyo; Evanilson
Chelsea
Unlike his counterpart in the Bournemouth dugout, Enzo Maresca has no new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to the Vitality Stadium. The Chelsea manager will be without five first-team players on Saturday.
Moises Caicedo continues his suspension after being sent off against Arsenal last weekend. Levi Colwill (knee), Romeo Lavia (hamstring), and Dario Essugo (thigh) remain in the treatment room. Meanwhile, Mykhailo Mudryk continues his ban after failing a doping test several months ago.
Robert Sanchez will retain his usual spot between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Bournemouth on Saturday. The backline will feature Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, and Marc Cucurella.
As for the midfield unit, Reece James should line up alongside Enzo Fernandez in the double pivot. Cole Palmer will reprise the no. 10 role, with Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho being the two wide attackers. Finally, Joao Pedro will spearhead the Chelsea attack against Bournemouth on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; James, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Garnacho; Pedro
Key Stats
- Bournemouth are without a win in their last seven Premier League games vs Chelsea (D3 L4), having won three of their previous four against the West London outfit (L1). The Blues have lost only one of their eight Premier League away matches against Bournemouth (W5 D2), going down 4-0 in January 2019 under Maurizio Sarri.
- Bournemouth have lost four of their last five Premier League games (D1), more than they had in their previous 17 (W8 D6 L3).
- Chelsea are on the longest current scoring streak of any side in the Premier League, netting in all 13 outings since a goalless draw with Crystal Palace on the opening weekend.
- Only Arsenal have conceded fewer home goals than Bournemouth (5) in the Premier League this season. However, the Cherries suffered their first home defeat of the season against Everton earlier this week.
- Antoine Semenyo has failed to score or assist a goal in his last six Premier League outings. After the first seven rounds of fixtures this season, he was second only to Erling Haaland (10) for goal involvements (9 – G6 A3).
Player to Watch
Pedro Neto
While Antoine Semenyo, David Brooks, and Cole Palmer were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Pedro Neto as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Bournemouth and Chelsea at the Vitality Stadium.
The Portuguese international has taken on the mantle of delivering the goods in the final third for the West London club in Cole Palmer’s absence. No Chelsea player has either scored (5) or been involved in (7) more Premier League goals than Neto this term.
The 25-year-old has been involved in six goals in his last seven appearances in the competition (G4 A2). With Palmer regaining fitness, Neto will have much less burden on his shoulders, and Enzo Maresca will hope that it liberates him to wreak havoc in the final third.
Prediction
Bournemouth 1-1 Chelsea
Bournemouth’s bid to end the frustrating winless run will continue this weekend, and the challenge does not become any easier, despite Chelsea’s defeat to Leeds United. However, that result will have given Andoni Iraola some clues to strategise how his side can keep the visitors at bay while slicing them open.
However, the soft underbelly that the hosts have displayed in the last few weeks will haunt them again this weekend. While Bournemouth will not produce a dreadful defensive display, they will not have enough quality to keep Chelsea at bay throughout the game. However, ultimately, there may not be much to separate the two teams, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw.