Premier League giants Chelsea will be looking to get back to winning ways when they travel to the Vitality Stadium to take on Bournemouth this Saturday. The Blues’ most recent outing saw them get absolutely demolished by a dominant Bayern Munich side in the Champions League in midweek. Despite the win against Tottenham last weekend, the London club were unable to keep the momentum going.
While their home form has been questionable, to say the least, it has to be accepted that Frank Lampard’s team have been much more dangerous on the road. With the rage and frustration of the embarrassing defeat against Munich still lingering, expect the Blues to come out all guns blazing against the Cherries. The London club currently have a three-point advantage over fourth place, but anything other than a victory against Howe’s team could prove costly in the long run.
Team News
Frank Lampard has had to deal with a plethora of various injury problems over the last couple of months, and the recent knock picked up by Tammy Abraham in midweek makes him a doubt for selection. The likes of Christian Pulisic and N’Golo Kante remain sidelined for this fixture, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek could be fit enough to make the matchday squad yet again.
Predicted 4-2-3-1 Chelsea Lineup Vs Bournemouth
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Defence
Willy Caballero has seemingly been promoted to the number one slot at Stamford Bridge over the last few weeks, and the Argentine veteran looks set to keep his place between the sticks for this visit to the South coast. In front of the former Manchester City man, expect to see the familiar central defence partnership consisting of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. Cesar Azpilicueta could be deployed in the unfamiliar left-back slot, with Reece James continuing down the right.
Midfield
The injury to Kante couldn’t have come at a worse time for Chelsea as they could end up losing their coveted fourth spot. Jorginho had a tough outing against the intense approach that the Bayern Munich midfielders took, but despite this, expect the Italian international to retain his place in the side. Mateo Kovacic is likely to partner him in the middle of the park.
Attack
Mason Mount was one of the lone shining lights for Chelsea in midweek, and the youngster is set to retain his role as the number ten. Willian and Pedro were only permitted to make substitute appearances against Munich by Lampard, and could hence be in line for starts on the weekend. Yet another injury to Abraham could even force the Chelsea gaffer into starting Olivier Giroud for the third fixture running.
