Chelsea will be looking for a much-needed return to winning ways in the Premier League on Tuesday when they take on leaders Bournemouth.
The title debate has died down in west London as the Blues remain winless in four league games. Enzo Maresca’s side were beaten by Fulham and Ipswich and held on against Everton and Crystal Palace during their fruitless spell which saw them slip to fourth in the table.
A 5-0 win over Morecambe in the third round of the FA Cup gave Chelsea some breathing room at the weekend, with centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo and luxury playmaker Joao Felix scoring twice each in the comfortable triumph.
Bournemouth were badly injured at the start of the new year, but Andoni Iraola’s side showed no signs of weakening at the weekend as they beat West Brom 5-1 on the south coast. The Cherries have had an excellent season so far and are currently seventh in the Premier League table.
A first European Cup place is within reach and they will overtake the hosts with a memorable win at the Bridge on Tuesday.
Here is 90 minutes Guide to Chelsea vs Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Chelsea vs Bournemouth head-to-head record (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
Chelsea | Bournemouth |
|---|---|
Chelsea 5-0 Morecambe – 11/01/25 | Bournemouth 5-1 West Brom – 11/01/25 |
Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea – 01/04/25 | Bournemouth 1-0 Everton – 01/04/25 |
Ipswich 2-0 Chelsea – 30/12/24 | Fulham 2-2 Bournemouth – 12/29/24 |
Chelsea 1-2 Fulham – 12/26/24 | Bournemouth 0-0 Crystal Palace – 26/12/24 |
Everton 0-0 Chelsea – 12/22/24 | Man Utd 0-3 Bournemouth – 12/22/24 |
country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | TNT Sports 3, Discovery+, Discovery+ app |
United States | peacock |
Canada | fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 3 Canada |
At the weekend there was plenty of rotation at Maresca, who welcomed Reece James and Romeo Lavia back into the squad after long breaks. Both players were in the starting line-up in the cup game on Saturday and have a chance of playing against the Cherries.
Malo Gusto is likely to return at right-back, while Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo will work together in the middle of the park.
Noni Madueke missed the game against Morecambe due to illness but could be back on Tuesday with Pedro Neto potentially playing on the right.
Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are all missing.
Predicted Chelsea line-up against Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson.
Bournemouth suffered some devastating injuries at the start of the new year: Enes Unal tore a cruciate ligament in training after they lost Evanilson to a long-term foot injury.
Impressive winger Antoine Semenyo is likely to fill the void at the top for the foreseeable future.
Kepa Arrizabalaga is ineligible to play against his parent club on Tuesday, so Mark Travers will make a rare start between the sticks. Iraola will also be without Alex Scott, Julian Araujo, Marcos Senesi, Adam Smith, Luis Sinisterra and Marcus Tavernier.
Expected Bournemouth line-up against Chelsea (4-2-3-1): trusses; Aarons, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Christie, chef; Brooks, Kluivert, Ouattara; Semenyo.
Bournemouth were last beaten on November 23rd and perhaps it will take sheer confidence to get through the coming season without Unal and Evanilson.
Given their injury concerns, one has to assume that the Cherries will experience a downturn at some point and a downturn could begin in west London. Chelsea have been off form over the last month but the breather afforded to many of Maresca’s key names over the weekend should serve the hosts well ahead of this game.
While Iraola’s side deserve a lot of credit for the performance they have put in over the last few months, it feels like a successful game for Chelsea.