Kick-off: 1730, 27/12/2022
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
TV: Amazon Prime
Chelsea will be hoping to make a fresh start to their Premier League campaign following the World Cup break when entertaining Bournemouth.
The Blues need to get back on track quickly after losing their last three games in this competition and should be fired up for this return.
We’re going with 21/20 for a home win to nil as our first Chelsea vs Bournemouth prediction.
Chelsea Odds
Following an initial improvement after Graham Potter replaced the sacked Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea’s results took a nose-dive.
The Blues failed to win in five league matches and suffered an EFL Cup exit, although they did manage to top their Champions League group.
From the start of the season, it was apparent something was not quite right at Stamford Bridge, but Potter has now had time to work things out.
He does still have some injury issues to contend with, as N’Golo Kante remains sidelined, while Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Wesley Fofana and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are recovering from problems.
Now striker Armando Broja is set to miss the rest of the campaign after he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Aston Villa in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Even so, the big-spending London outfit should have the strength in depth to get the job done here.
Kai Havertz netted in a couple of October matches and bagged a brace for Germany in their 4-2 defeat of Costa Rica at Qatar 2022.
The 23-year-old is backed at 16/5 to break the deadlock from the Chelsea vs Bournemouth odds.
Last Chelsea line-up: Mendy, Chalobah, Koulibaly, Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek, Mount, Gallagher, Hall, Broja.
Bournemouth Odds
Bournemouth went into the break buoyed by back-to-back home wins over Everton in the EFL Cup and the Premier League, which left them 14th, three points above the drop zone.
The Cherries then appointed caretaker boss Gary O’Neil on a permanent basis and saw American businessman Bill Foley complete his takeover.
Foley, 77, who also owns NHL side the Vegas Golden Knights, declared: “We will move forward with an ‘always advance, never retreat’ approach that has defined all of my endeavours.”
O’Neil was able to take some positives from a committed performance in Tuesday’s 1-0 EFL Cup loss at Newcastle.
A virus-hit squad shorn of the services of Jefferson Lerma and Marcus Tavernier held firm except for an unfortunate Adam Smith own goal on 67 minutes.
“Obviously, they had some chances, but I don’t ever remember feeling like they were smashing the door down, so organisation-wise, commitment-wise, fantastic,” said O’Neil.
“We need to try to be more clinical, maybe create a few more chances and make sure we take one or two.”
The Cherries have generally struggled on the road, though, conceding a division-high 24 goals from seven away games in the league.
That may force O’Neil to batten down the hatches again here and 11/2 for a 2-0 home victory completes our Chelsea vs Bournemouth betting tips.
Last Bournemouth line-up: Travers, Mepham, Smith, Senesi, Zemura, Cook, Christie, Billing, Anthony, Solanke, Moore.
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