Tag: Bournemouth

Can Chelsea stretch their perfect start to the season ahead of the upcoming international fixtures? The Blues have a two week break following their fourth clash of the Premier League season, and they welcome Bournemouth to Stamford Bridge this weekend, just months after the Cherries ran out 3-0 winners in a visit to this ground. Eddie Howe’s men have also made a strong start to the new campaign, and they’re hoping to kick on this time around after a few seasons of stability in the top flight. However, will they be able to end the Blues’ strong start?

It’s been a good first month for Maurizio Sarri at Stamford Bridge, after last weekend’s 2-1 win over Newcastle. The former Napoli boss seemed certain that his tactical plans would take weeks or months to get across to the players, so having nine points on the board at this stage feels like a strong show of confidence in the way the new boss wants to play. With the Blues playing some of the most exciting football we’ve seen in years, fans will be desperate to see the winning run carry through into September.

Team News: Sarri Set to Keep the Faith

There’s no reason for Sarri to go changing anything now, with his side starting so well. Mateo Kovacic came in for Ross Barkley in the last game, and the Croatian seems set to keep his place in the side. It looks like he’s set for a spot in the first choice midfield three alongside Jorginho and N’Golo Kante this term, while Cesc Fabregas is out of contention through injury. Eden Hazard is back starting again, while Pedro’s good form for the Blues is set to see him start once again this weekend. It’s not the most difficult team selection for Sarri to make, given the great start his men have made.

Bournemouth have issues in this clash, but they do welcome Adam Smith back after his red card last weekend. The defender served his suspension in the Carabao Cup, and is free to feature here. He’s likely to slot in at right-back yet again. Howe could call upon Diego Rico and Jefferson Lerma here, after they both started their midweek cup game. The Cherries have little by the way of injury news, meaning that competition for places ahead of this visit is high.

Bournemouth Form

The Cherries remain unbeaten so far this season, following their fightback last weekend. They came back yet again, this time from 2-0 down with 10 men, to draw at home to Everton, showing the attacking quality in this Bournemouth side. Howe’s men can pass the ball around, but they’re also a team who can make the most of set pieces, giving them plenty of threat. That’s helped them score twice in every league game so far, as they kicked off the campaign with wins over Cardiff and West Ham. With early wins under the belt, Howe is looking for more from his side but this is clearly their biggest test yet.

Bournemouth won in midweek, taking themselves through to the third round of the EFL Cup with a 3-0 victory over League Two MK Dons. They come here having won just five matches from their last 39 on the road in the Premier League, after their win at West Ham. They were a side who saw plenty of goals last term, with 63% of their trips seeing over 2.5 goals. They’ve kicked off in a similar manner, and they’re likely to come out and attack at the Bridge.

Chelsea v Bournemouth Head to Head

The previous meeting between these two sides wasn’t one to remember for the Chelsea faithful. The Cherries won 3-0 at the Bridge, routing the then-champions and striking a blow to Antonio Conte’s side. That means that Bournemouth have won two of four visits to the Bridge, but lost five of their last six meetings with the Blues.

• Chelsea 0-3 Bournemouth, Jan 2018
• Chelsea 2-1 Bournemouth, Dec 2017
• Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea, Oct 2017
• Bournemouth 1-3 Chelsea, April 2017
• Chelsea 3-0 Bournemouth, Dec 2016

Betting Tips

• Both Teams to Score – 4/5 with bet365
• Eden Hazard to Score – 21/20 with Ladbrokes

The Blues are heavy favourites ahead of this clash, with Betfred pricing them up at 2/7 going into Saturday’s meeting. The Cherries are 9/1 with Coral to repeat their win here last season, while you can find the draw at 5/1 with BetVictor. For a side who are unbeaten so far this season, Bournemouth look a little too big on the Double Chance market at 13/5 with Betfair. However, will problems in defence leave them struggling to cope with the Chelsea attack?

Bournemouth looked really poor as Everton picked them apart at the Vitality last weekend. Despite having record signing Richarlison sent off, the Toffees raced into a 2-0 lead on the south coast. However, Howe’s side showed their strength in front of goal with a fightback. Following the midweek game they’ve now scored nine times in four matches and they should trouble a Chelsea defence which isn’t up to scratch just quite yet. We’re going for both teams to score in Saturday’s game. With the Blues set for another high scoring clash BTTS can be backed at 4/5 with bet365 ahead of this encounter.

One area where the Cherries have struggled of late is with penalties, having conceded a spot kick in back to back league games. They could end up doing the same in this visit, which makes us think that Hazard is well priced for a goal here. Not only does the Belgian take the penalties, but he’s scored five times in six Premier League meetings with the Cherries. With that in mind, we’re backing the winger to hit the back of the net here. He’s priced at 21/20 with Ladbrokes to score any time on Saturday.

Chelsea have had a cup double header over the past week, but they refocus on the Premier League on Wednesday night as they host Bournemouth. While there could be a few behind the scenes who are busy trying to get last minute deals over the line, the players won’t have too much time for that as they’re in action almost up until the window slams shut at 11pm. However, Antonio Conte needs to keep his focus away from the transfer business here, although according to him that won’t be too hard.

Conte needs to make sure the Blues’ return to Premier League action brings another three points, as they are still chasing Champions League football. The fight for the top four isn’t going to be easy, with Tottenham in fifth and Liverpool in fourth looking to overhaul the Blues. While Conte’s side may have their eye on a second place finish, the main objective is simply bettering fifth. That might not be the ideal campaign for some, but the Blues can ill-afford another season outside of Europe’s biggest competition.

Team News: Can Blues Return to High of Brighton Display?

With Alvaro Morata set to start up front, the Blues shouldn’t have too much to worry about in terms of attacking selections here. They come into this trip with few injury concerns, although Cesc Fabregas and Gary Cahill aren’t expected to feature. Having made changes across the recent cup games, Conte should revert to his strongest available side for this clash. The Blues are expected to start in their usual 3-4-3 system here, with Thibaut Courtois looking as though he will return in goal. It would seem that Willian is leading the race to start alongside Hazard and Morata up top, with Pedro struggling for form of late.

The visitors make this trip without Jermain Defoe, but he’s their only real concern ahead of this clash. They tried a three at the back approach for clashes with Man City and Arsenal, but that formation usually backfires when used against the Blues, who are masters at matching sides man for man in their now favoured set up. Should Eddie Howe go with that approach, it could cost them.

Bournemouth Form

Bournemouth have done well in recent weeks to drag themselves away from the drop zone, but they could have done much more early on in the campaign. The Cherries were in the bottom three early on, but they kept faith with Eddie Howe and he has guided them into the relative safety of mid-table. However, that doesn’t mean their form has been great of late. While they have kicked off an unbeaten run in the league, there are signs they could struggle here.

Bournemouth haven’t lost in any of their last five matches, but they’ve only managed two wins across their last 12. They’re without a win in six on the road, while they’ve lost half of their away trips so far this season. With 11 defeats to their name already this term, the South-coast side have struggled at times, and they’ve mostly done that against the top sides, having claimed just seven points from a possible 39 against the top 10 teams this season.

Chelsea v Bournemouth Head to Head

While Chelsea’s first meeting with Bournemouth resulted in an embarrassing 1-0 loss at Stamford Bridge, the Blues have enjoyed better form against the Cherries of late. They’ve won all of their previous five meetings with Howe and his men, including two clashes already this season.

• Chelsea 2-1 Bournemouth, Dec 2017
• Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea, Oct 2017
• Bournemouth 1-3 Chelsea, Apr 2017
• Chelsea 3-0 Bournemouth, Dec 2016
• Bournemouth 1-4 Chelsea, Apr 2016

Betting Tips

• Chelsea to win and over 2.5 goals – 8/11 with Betfred
• Chelsea to win to nil – 15/13 with Ladbrokes

The Blues are heavy favourites coming into this one, as they’re priced up at just 1/4 with BetVictor to take the three points from this game. The Cherries are 11/1 with Betfair to secure another shock win away to the champions – as they did in 2015. You can back the draw at 9/2 with Coral here, which isn’t a result Conte and co can really afford right now. Having put together an impressive run of form against Bournemouth, we can’t see Chelsea surrendering the points at home in this one. However, they’re obviously too short to go backing on the outright market.

We are backing a Chelsea win, but we do feel like there are opportunities to get a little more value out of it. For instance, the visitors have shipped four goals to Man City and Liverpool in a couple of recent big games, which could worry them going in to this trip. Another issue for the visitors is that they’re one of the sides Eden Hazard tends to enjoy playing against, as he has recorded five wins, five goals and an assist in six meetings with them. Recently the Blues have only really played well going forward when the Belgian has been on good form, so we could see a few goals from the champions. With that in mind, we’re tempted by Chelsea to win and over 2.5 goals in this one.

On top of that, the visitors do have a problem in terms of their attack against top sides. Having made four trips to the top six this season – failing to score in any of them. On top of that, the two sides they have yet to travel to – Chelsea and Liverpool – both beat them to nil at the Vitality Stadium. The Cherries tend to have a poor attacking record against top sides, and that won’t bode well against a side who have kept six clean sheets in their last seven in the league. As such, we’re backing a home win to nil as our second tip at odds of 15/13 with Ladbrokes.

Chelsea are back in the top four in the Premier League, and they’ll want to hang on to that when they travel south on Saturday evening. The Blues head to Bournemouth this weekend, a ground where they have a perfect record in Premier League matches. Having seen off an impressive Watford side at the weekend, the Blues will be hoping for another three points to keep their season on track. However, in order to do that they’ll need to improve on last weekend’s showing.

The champions need to fix their issues, with many trying to compare this season to their dismal time under Jose Mourinho in 2015. That title defence was rocky from the outset, but it’s hard to draw too many comparisons. After all, but Blues are only three points worse off this time around than they were at this stage last season. They were fourth at this stage last term too, with Manchester City leading the way at the top. Plenty changed over the following 29 matches, could the same happen this season?

Team News: Could Watford Win Lead to Formation Change?

The Blues had success after making changes against Watford, which involved getting Pedro, Willian and Eden Hazard on the pitch together. The Blues could try and find a way of including those three behind Alvaro Morata here to switch things up, but that would involve a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 with Hazard playing centrally. It would be a big change from Conte from the start, but he’ll want to get the Belgian as involved in the game as possible. The Blues are going to be without N’Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater once again this weekend, which leaves Cesc Fabregas and Tiemoue Bakayoko as the only two options in central midfield.

Bournemouth aren’t likely to make many changes after picking up a vital three points on Saturday. Having seen off Stoke at the Bet365 Arena, it’s hard to see Eddie Howe going out of his way to make changes for this one. He may be tempted to add a little more resilience to his side ahead of a clash with the defending champions, especially after the Blues scored four times without playing well on Saturday. Two notable names who are likely to start in this one are former Blues Asmir Begovic and Nathan Ake. The pair left Stamford Bridge for the south coast in the summer, and now they’re set to face off with their former side.

Bournemouth Form

The Cherries are struggling at home of late, with just one home win in their last four matches. A victory at Stoke on Saturday failed to take the Cherries out of the drop zone, and they’re left in the bottom two. There’s no pressure on Eddie Howe despite their strong start, he has even been linked with the Everton job following Ronald Koeman’s departure.

The Cherries have lost six of their nine matches overall, which would be cause for panic for most sides. Only Crystal Palace’s dismal start has prevented the Cherries from sitting bottom, so Chelsea should be able to take advantage of Howe’s side. While the club should stabilise over the coming weeks, there are serious issues for Bournemouth to deal with right now.

Bournemouth v Chelsea Head to Head

Chelsea have won the last three meetings between these two sides, following a shock 1-0 loss to the Cherries at Stamford Bridge in 2015. That was part of their awful title defence, which must raise alarm bells ahead of this clash. Given the rate that the Blues are conceding goals, they are likely to slip up to this Bournemouth attack once again.

• Bournemouth 1-3 Chelsea, Apr 2017
• Chelsea 3-0 Bournemouth, Dec 2016
• Bournemouth 1-4 Chelsea, Apr 2016
• Chelsea 0-1 Bournemouth, Dec 2015

Betting Tips

• Over 2.5 goals – 7/10 with BetVictor
• Eden Hazard to score anytime – 17/10 with Betfair

Chelsea come in to this game at 4/7 with Bet365 to take all three points and they are worthy favourites. That said, they should be slightly longer given their recent struggles, which could affect them in this trip. The draw here can be backed at 3/1 with Ladbrokes, while Bournemouth are out at 9/2 with Betfred for the points. Can the Cherries cause an upset at the Vitality, or will the Blues build on their win over Watford? Conte can’t really afford another slip up here, which would mean they’ve lost to both of the current bottom two. That would be a real blow to their title defence.

Chelsea’s recent defensive issues could give Bournemouth a chance here, and that’s exactly why we’re avoiding siding with the Blues in the match betting. The champions have made too many sloppy errors at the back, which should see Bournemouth get a goal here. The Cherries have scored in three of their four meetings with Chelsea, including both their clashes at the Vitality. However, the Blues have won 7-2 here on aggregate in their two trips, so we expect to see plenty of goals in this game. We’re backing over 2.5 goals in this clash, which has landed in every Chelsea away game this season. It looks like great value at 7/10 with BetVictor.

While the late fightback against Watford saw plenty of Chelsea players come out with credit, one man who didn’t was Hazard. The Belgian did get an early assist, but he was left out of the late fightback for the most part. He should get a chance to make up for that this weekend, given that he tends to enjoy playing against Bournemouth. The Cherries haven’t got the best record against the Belgian winger, conceding four goals in their last three meetings with him. With the possibility of Hazard moving into a central role, we are backing him to score any time at 17/10 with Betfair.

Chelsea got their title challenge back on track following a 2-1 win over Manchester City in midweek. Can the Premier League leaders build on that when they travel to Bournemouth? Antonio Conte has demanded that his team hit the 90 point mark this season, which would mathematically seal the title for them. Tottenham are showing no signs of choking as yet, so the Blues need to take their challenge seriously for now. However, Spurs have a history of bottling things and a much tougher run in, so they’re likely to ultimately fall short of glory once again.

The Blues will be counting on all their experience in the final eight games of the campaign, starting at the Vitality Stadium. While it seems like a straightforward affair, it’s a potentially tricky one. Bournemouth are just coming back in to form after a poor run of results, and they’re likely to trouble the Blues defence here, given their strong scoring record at home. This is another potential banana skin for Conte and his team, and they’ll all be out to avoid another slip up this weekend.

Team News: Conte needs right-wing reshuffle

Chelsea haven’t had to deal with many injury problems all season, but something was always going to hit their stability eventually. Who’d have thought that the absence of Victor Moses would prove to be a huge issue? The right wing-back has no real replacement, with Pedro struggling there against Palace. Cesar Azpilicueta played there for 45 minutes against City, but he was moved centrally once Kurt Zouma came off. Conte is hoping that the Nigerian can recover in time for this trip, but if he doesn’t it’s likely that Azpilicueta will be moved once again. Pedro’s struggles from the start against Palace should keep him further up the pitch.

Bournemouth are without the suspended Tyrone Mings, while forward Callum Wilson is injured ahead of this game. Aside from that, the hosts are set to have their strongest side out, as they look to push into the top half of the table. The Cherries have been lining up in a 4-4-2 of late, which they occasionally switch to a 4-4-1-1. The Blues’ back three should have enough to deal with that attack, and it leaves the two sides evenly matched in midfield.

Bournemouth Form

Bournemouth come into this game on the back of a 2-2 draw at Liverpool on Wednesday night, claiming their fourth point against the Reds this season. They’ve drawn three of their last five matches, but that’s an improvement on their early 2017 run of form. Having recorded one draw and six defeats in seven, their recent unbeaten run has been a huge relief for manager Eddie Howe, moving the Cherries away from the drop zone.

Bournemouth have claimed wins over West Ham and Swansea in recent home games, which has helped them push up the table and move towards the top half. They troubled Arsenal in a home game late last year, going 3-0 up before slipping to a 3-3 draw. However, a 2-0 defeat at home to Manchester City shows that the Cherries can’t quite mix it with the best in current form. They’re mostly picking off sides below them as they push for survival.

Bournemouth v Chelsea Head to Head

There have been just three recent meetings between these two sides, and they didn’t get off to the best of starts for the Blues. A 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge was part of Jose Mourinho’s tough third season here. Guus Hiddink avenged that defeat by winning 4-1 in their only trip to the Vitality, before a 3-0 win earlier this season kept up the Blues’ brilliant winning run after their tactical switch. Can they record a third straight victory when they travel to the south coast this weekend?

• Chelsea 3-0 Bournemouth, Dec 2016
• Bournemouth 1-4 Chelsea, Apr 2016
• Chelsea 0-1 Bournemouth, Dec 2015

Betting Tips

• Both teams to score – 10/11 with Betfred
• Chelsea to win & BTTS – 12/5 with Coral

Chelsea can be backed at 3/5 with Sky Bet ahead of the late game on Saturday. The hosts are 6/1 outsiders with Betfair, while BetVictor price the draw at 16/5. The league leaders are clearly expected to avoid a slip-up in consecutive weekends, but will they get over the line against the Cherries? Having conceded in both meetings last term, it’s easy to see Thibaut Courtois being troubling in the Blues net once again, given how exposed he has been in recent weeks. All of a sudden, the defenders in front of him are looking a little unreliable.

Obviously there’s a possible selection worry at the back for Antonio Conte, but the problems date back much further than Moses’ injury. It’s now eight straight league games without a clean sheet for the leaders, which is a worrying run of form. They take on a Bournemouth side who scored twice at Anfield on Wednesday, one who score 1.73 goals per game at home this season. They’ve found the net in 80% of their home league outings, and we expect another goal for the Cherries. We’re backing both teams to score for the ninth straight occasion for the Blues in the Premier League, and that’s priced at 10/11 with Betfred.

While the Blues are likely to concede again, we can’t see that stopping them from taking maximum points. They can’t afford to slip up with Tottenham in hot pursuit of top spot, and their manager has demanded six wins from the final eight games of the season. We’re backing the visitors to win and concede in this game, something they’ve made a habit of after their recent poor showings at the back. The Blues haven’t won a league game to nil since January, so we’re backing Chelsea to win and both teams to score, which is 12/5 with Coral.

Can Chelsea make it 12 straight league wins with a victory at home to Bournemouth on Boxing Day? They’re out to extend their six point lead at the summit and keep their fantastic run going. If they can carry their excellent form in to 2017, then it’s hard to see how the rest of the title hopefuls can catch them. However, they need to watch out against a useful Cherries side.

Bournemouth sit in the top half of the table, they’ve been pretty solid in their second season in the top flight. They’ve got a couple of dangerous players, and they recently beat Liverpool 4-3 after a fantastic comeback. This is another new challenge for Antonio Conte, can he inspire his side to another victory? The Blues come in to this one as heavy favourites for the points.

Team News: Suspensions leave Conte without key men

Chelsea have built their excellent form on the back of little rotation, keeping much of the same side across this run. However, that isn’t going to be the case on Monday, as they face a couple of big suspensions ahead of this clash. Diego Costa and N’Golo Kante are both out here, after picking up yellow cards at Crystal Palace last weekend. Those two have been key parts of the title push so far, so just how will the Blues fare with two big absentees from the spine of their team?

Luckily, there are a couple of easy solutions for Conte ahead of this game. Cesc Fabregas has been pushing for a place in the team, so he can step in for Kante. While the Frenchman will be missed, Nemanja Matic will have to pick up the defensive slack. Between him and Fabregas, they should be able to make up for it. Meanwhile, Michy Batshuayi can finally get a league start with Costa out. The Belgian can at last start to show why he cost so much in the summer. He’s been limited to substitute appearances so far.

Bournemouth are missing some players ahead of this trip too, with Lewis Cook, Andrew Surman and Junior Stanislas all set to miss out for the Cherries here. Eddie Howe should be able to cope with those absences, although they’re going to miss a key man at the back. Nathan Ake has established himself in their defence, while he’s also been in strong scoring form of late. However, the Chelsea loanee is unavailable for this clash against his parent club.

Bournemouth Form

Bournemouth took a couple of big wins recently, seeing off Leicester 1-0 at the King Power. That came off the back of their win over Liverpool, so clearly the south coast side are not to be taken lightly. However, they’ve not got the greatest record on their travels. Will they be able to cause a massive shock at Stamford Bridge?

They’ve managed just one victory in seven away matches this season, which isn’t the kind of form they want to take into a tough match like this. Even that win at Stoke was surprising, and they followed it up with back to back defeats at Arsenal and Burnley. When you compare that to the Blues’ form going into this clash, it’s hard to see how the visitors can cause a shock on Boxing Day.

Chelsea v Bournemouth Head to Head

These two sides have only met twice before, and both of those came last season. The first meeting, their only encounter at Stamford Bridge, was one of the lowest points of Jose Mourinho’s tenure. They lost 1-0 to the newly promoted Cherries in December last year, before turning that around for the second meeting. Guus Hiddink led them to a 4-0 win at the Vitality in April. Hopefully Conte can produce something closer to Hiddnk’s result, rather than another home collapse.

• Bournemouth 0-4 Chelsea, Apr 2016
• Chelsea 0-1 Bournemouth, Dec 2016

Betting Tips

• Michy Batshuayi to score any time – 5/6 with Coral
• Chelsea to win to nil – 29/20 with BetVictor

This game will represent a huge moment for Conte and his team. The lack of European football has given them plenty of time to prepare for each game, while it has also allowed them to keep basically the same side across their winning run. There’s been a core of nine players, plus four others who have made starts. That all changes this week, with a couple of suspensions forcing Conte’s hand. On top of that, he might want to rest a couple of players, with a busy Christmas period coming up for the Blues. Could that lead to a new look side taking the field on Boxing Day?

We know that striker Costa is going to miss out and without the forward in the team the Blues will look a little short on goals. The Spaniard has hit 13 goals in 17 appearances, so obviously he’s a huge player to have to do without. This is the perfect chance for Batshuayi to step in. The forward cost £33million last summer, but he’s spent most of the season on the bench. He’s been Conte’s most used substitute so far, and he’s managed a few goals off the bench. We see him finding the net in his first league start, so we’re backing him to score any time at 5/6 with Coral.

We’re also backing another win to nil for the Blues. They’ve kept a clean sheet in nine of their last 11 games, which has been a huge help to their winning run. While Kante misses out, the usual back five will start. They should be good enough to keep out the Cherries, so we’re backing a clean sheet here for the Premier League leaders. We’re also backing their excellent winning run to continue, as we’re going with Chelsea to win to nil at 29/20 with BetVictor.