Overview
Destroying hopes of chasing the top spot, Chelsea could not maintain their momentum after an emotional draw against Arsenal when they suddenly fell to Leeds in midweek. However, they can completely correct their mistakes in the away match against Bournemouth this weekend.
Enzo Maresca's youth team were completely outclassed in terms of ideas and spirit at Elland Road, struggling to cope with the passionate atmosphere here. A 1-3 defeat is an inevitable consequence, and the Italian strategist's team selection continues to create many controversies.
However, Chelsea still have confidence before the weekend match, because they have an outstanding away record in the Premier League. The Blues have picked up 13 points away from home, more than at Stamford Bridge (11).
Notably, The Blues are also unbeaten in their last four away games against Bournemouth (W2 D2), including a 1-0 win in September 2024.
On the other hand, Bournemouth went through a difficult period since the beginning of November and continued to decline with a defeat at the beginning of the new month. Andoni Iraola's team played unusually poorly sharply at Vitality, losing 0-1 to Everton. The problems in both attack and defense were clearly revealed, forcing them to find a solution as soon as possible.
After a series of 4 consecutive losses, Bournemouth have conceded 13 goals and scored only 5 goals. The shortage of personnel is one of the reasons for their decline.
Lewis Cook and Tyler Adams will be sidelined through suspension, while Scottish duo Ryan Christie and Ben Gannon Doak are yet to recover from injury. However, Andoni Iraola also received some positive signals when Justin Kluivert returned to the starting lineup in midweek, while Marcos Senesi and David Brooks are both eligible to play.
On the other side, Chelsea continue to be without the services of mainstay midfielder Moises Caicedo, who is serving a 3-match suspension and is preparing to enter a second match. Since Caicedo arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2023, Chelsea have won just 25% of their Premier League games without him in the starting line-up - compared to 52% when he started.
In that context, Cole Palmer's timely return has become a valuable support. As Chelsea prepare to enter a thrilling schedule with 7 matches within 24 days to close 2025, they are in great need of creativity from the English conductor.
Palmer missed 14 games through injury before returning from the bench in the second half against Leeds. This puts Enzo Maresca in front of an important problem: should he take a risk to bring Palmer back to the starting lineup this weekend?
Head-to-head record
While Chelsea won 1-0 in their most recent away trip to Bournemouth last September, they had to rely on Reece James' late equaliser to keep a point in their Stamford Bridge reunion in January this year.
That match was dramatic, with Cole Palmer, Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert all taking turns putting their names on the scoreboard in a 2-2 draw.
In addition to avoiding a home defeat that time, The Blues have also lost just one of their last eight Premier League games at Vitality Stadium (W5 D2).
Meanwhile, Bournemouth have failed to beat Chelsea in their last seven Premier League meetings. They have won three of their four meetings with the Blues.
Score prediction: Bournemouth 2-2 Chelsea
The match between Bournemouth and Chelsea takes place at 22:00 on December 6 (Vietnam time).
