Chelsea will face off against Bournemouth on Saturday at the Vitality Stadium in the tenth round of matches in the Premier League, as the Blues look to push forward and catch hold of rivals Manchester City. Both teams will be high on confidence after reaching the quarter final stages of the Carabao Cup, with wins over their rivals. They are already set to meet again with each other in the quarter final of the cup competition and whoever wins this one, might have an advantage going into that fixture.
Chelsea are currently situated at 4th place in the League Table with 16 points from 9 games so far in the Premier League. They had won 5 games and 1 game was drawn. But the three defeats had kept them outside the contention of winning the League. But the win against Watford with a margin of 4-2 in the previous weekend will give them some confidence and they will wish to maintain their winning form in this match also.
Bournemouth are currently situated at 19th position in the League Table with only 7 points from their 9 encounters so far. They had won only 2 matches in the campaign and had drawn one match. The win against Stoke City with a margin of 2-1 will give them some hope after losing so many matches in the opening half of the season. They will wish to take at least 1 point from this tough match against Chelsea to avoid relegation this season.
Team News :
Bournemouth :
Bournemouth will miss the service of Mings and Brad Smith against Chelsea in a very important match on their home ground, which the fans would have hoped would give them some delight in the form of a point at least, if not more. Former Chelsea player Asmir Begovic will start at goal for the Cherries. Adam Smith, Francis, Ake and Daniels will feature in the defense for them. Ibe, Surman, Lewis Cook and Stanislas will be in the midfield for Bournemouth while Mousset will play behind Afobe at the upfront of the field.
Chelsea :
Chelsea will miss the service of N’Golo Kante due to a “grade A” hamstring injury and the Frenchman has not been able to recover on time to face off against the Cherries. They will also miss the service of Victor Moses in the right flank. Danny Drinkwater will be on the bench after getting his first game for Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Thibaut Courtois will start at Chelsea Goal against Bournemouth. Rudiger, Cahill and David Luiz will be chosen as three central defenders for the match. Alonso and Azpilicueta will start as two wingbacks for them. Fabregas and Bakayoko will feature in the heart of the midfield for Chelsea. Pedro and Hazard will accompany Morata in the attacking third for them.
Possible Starting Eleven :
Bournemouth : (4-5-1)
Goalkeeper : Begovic
Defenders : Adam Smith, Francis, Ake, Daniels.
Midfielders : Ibe, Surman, Cook, Stanislas, Mousset.
Attackers : Afobe.
Chelsea : (3-4-3)
Goalkeeper : Courtois
Defenders : Cahill, Luiz, Rudiger.
Midfielders : Alonso, Fabregas, Bakayoko, Azpilicueta.
Attackers : Pedro, Morata, Hazard.
My Score Prediction :
Bournemouth 1-2 Chelsea.
