Premier League: Will Chelsea Snap Their Skid Against Bournemouth?

Chelsea vs Bournemouth

Enzo Maresca may be right when he said that Chelsea are not yet ready to contend for the Premier League this season because his team has fallen off in recent weeks. Chelsea were second in the English top-flight standings, fueled by their eight-game winning streak across all competitions. But since then, the Blues couldn’t buy a win in their last four games (D2, L2), so now they’re fourth in the table with 36 points. Following their FA Cup third-round match against Morecambe later, Chelsea are scheduled to host Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

Bournemouth will also open their FA Cup campaign with a third-round matchup against West Brom. In the Premier League, Andoni Iraola’s side is seventh in the table with 33 points, and it is worth to note that they’re unbeaten in their last eight matches.

 

Talking Points

Chelsea need to use their strength in numbers

Chelsea have recruited many players in the past few years, and it has helped them balance their domestic and European obligations. Enzo Maresca essentially has two starting XIs he can mix and match, depending on his tactical setup.

After deploying their best starting XI in their 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace, Chelsea will likely have a rotated squad against Morecambe later. This means we’ll likely see Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu, and Noni Madueke leading their attack instead of Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho, and Cole Palmer.

Cole Palmer taking a day off should give him fresh legs against Bournemouth. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder is in the running for the Golden Boot race, with 13 league goals and six assists this season. Meanwhile, Nicolas Jackson already has nine league goals and four assists.

The Blues are also getting a boost in their backline, as Reece James is now available to play after an injury layoff. The right-back was on the bench against the Eagles, and he could play either against Morecambe or Bournemouth.

Furthermore, reports confirm that Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei, and Ben Chilwell are no longer part of Enzo Maresca’s plans, but the Blues still have Joao Felix, Renato Veiga, and Romeo Lavia who can fill in for them.

 

Bournemouth facing an injury crisis

Andoni Iraola faces a major lineup dilemma because he is short of options up front in contrast to Chelsea. The Cherries announced on Tuesday that Evanilson is sidelined until April due to a broken leg, and Enes Unal is out for the rest of the 2024-25 season due to a torn ACL. Evanilson and Enes Unal are two of the team’s top attackers, having combined for seven league goals and one assist this season.

With the two strikers out, Justin Kluivert, Antoine Semenyo, and Dango Ouattara will shoulder more attacking responsibility. Kluivert is Bournemouth’s top scorer, with six league goals and two assists. Semenyo has five league goals and two assists, and Ouattara has three league goals and three assists. David Brooks could also play more for Iraola after scoring the matchwinner against Everton last week (1-0). Bournemouth also have injury problems to contend with in their defence, with Marcos Senesi (thigh), Marcus Tavernier (hamstring), and Julian Araujo (hamstring) also in the medical room.

 

History

Chelsea and Bournemouth have already faced off earlier this season, with the former winning 1-0 at the Vitality Stadium, courtesy of Christopher Nkunku’s 86^th-minute goal. The Blues are undefeated in their last six Premier League matches against the Cherries (W4, D2) after losing consecutive Premier League games in 2019. Bournemouth have won three of their first five Premier League matches against Chelsea (L2) but have lost their last two visits at Stamford Bridge.

As mentioned, Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last eight matches (W5, D3), which is the third longest undefeated streak in the Premier League behind Arsenal (W10) and Liverpool (W15). It’s the Cherries’ longest ever such run in the competition.

 

Betting Tip

The Premier League 2025 odds predict Chelsea to beat Bournemouth on Tuesday. Chelsea are 1.58 favourites to win, whereas Bournemouth are 4.45 underdogs, and a draw is at 4.09 in the 1X2 market.

SBOTOP football fans and bettors shouldn’t expect too many goals and Premier League 2025 highlights from this fixture, given the trend of Chelsea and Bournemouth’s recent meetings, making options like Under 3.00 at 2.16, Under 3.25 at 1.85, Total Goal 2-3 at 2.21, or even Total Goal 0-1 at 4.97 worth considering.

A Correct Score of 1-0 in favour of the Blues – the result of their last league meeting – is pegged at 10.50 your bet. Meanwhile, a goalless draw (Correct Score of 0-0) should give you a significantly higher offer of 21.00 your bet.

   

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