Overview
Chelsea is facing the risk of closing the calendar year in an unconvincing way after being defeated 2-1 by Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.
Joao Pedro scored in his second consecutive match in the Premier League, helping Chelsea take the lead when it entered halftime. However, the home team could not resist the impact from Ollie Watkins when this striker came on and scored a double in 21 minutes.
That defeat ended The Blues' 4-match unbeaten streak at home and dragged Enzo Maresca's team into a period of decline. They have only won 1/5 of the last rounds (3 draws, 2 losses). Maresca will certainly be particularly concerned about preserving their advantage, in the context that Chelsea was also held to a 0-0 draw by Bournemouth in the first leg earlier this month.
For the first time since 1998, Chelsea has faced the same opponent twice in a month in the Premier League. However, Stamford Bridge is still a significant support.
Chelsea has won 2/3 of their last home games against Bournemouth, and also has a very positive year-end record with 13 wins, 8 draws and only 1 loss in their last 22 home games at the end of the year.
In the opposite direction, Bournemouth once created excitement when closing October in the leading group, but since the victory over Nottingham Forest on October 26, they have only won 4 points in 9 consecutive unbeaten matches. The 1-4 defeat to Brentford last weekend continued to reveal fragility, especially in away defense.
Statistics of 27 goals conceded after 9 away games make Bournemouth one of the worst defenses away from home. And this is a worrying sign when they have to face the group of teams with high scoring efficiency in the league.
If they want to create a turning point and find their first victory against Chelsea since December 2019, Andoni Iraola's team must tighten their defensive structure, while significantly improving their ability to control key moments of the match.
Personnel situation
Chelsea continues to be missing Levi Colwill (recovering from anterior cruciate ligament injury), along with the midfield duo Dario Essugo and Romeo Lavia (ankle injury).
The home team must also assess the condition of Marc Cucurella, who left the field in the second half of the defeat to Aston Villa due to hamstring problems. If Cucurella does not recover in time, Malo Gusto is likely to start. The backup option is Jorrel Hato, who is not sure to reach his best condition after being absent from the past round due to fitness issues.
In the center of defense, Wesley Fofana is competing with Benoit Badiashile to pair up with Trevoh Chalobah.
On Bournemouth's side, Andoni Iraola confirmed that Tyler Adams will be out for 2-3 months due to a cruciate ligament injury, sustained in the 4-4 draw with Man United.
In addition to Adams, the away team also lacks Ben Doak (injured), along with two defenders Veljko Milosavljevic and Matai Akinmboni. Alex Scott is being watched after having problems and having to leave the field at the end of the defeat to Brentford.
Regarding attacking personnel options, David Brooks, Justin Kluivert and Evanilson all came on from the bench in the previous round and may be considered for starting when playing away at Stamford Bridge.
Expected lineup:
Sanchez, James, Fofana, Chalobah, Gusto, Fernandez, Caicedo, Neto, Palmer, Garnacho, Pedro.
Petrovic, Jimenez, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert, Scott, Cook, Brooks, Kluivert, Semenyo, Evanilson.
The match between Chelsea and Bournemouth takes place at 2:30 AM on December 31 (Vietnam time).
