Chelsea are finally back in Premier League action in just five days, welcoming Bournemouth to Stamford Bridge for the Tuesday night kick-off on the 27th.
Mixed emotions right now, Chelsea fans I’m sure, but for me, I’m actually happy and excited for the return of club football. I appreciated and enjoyed/needed the break, but I reset my expectations, honed my emotions (at least for now), and I’m ready to see Chelsea again!
Form-wise, it’s pretty much a clean slate due to the stoppage and restart, which Chelsea have really needed. But before the break, we all know that our form and performance were poor and saw us drop to eighth in the Premier League.
As for Bournemouth, before beating Everton 3-0 in their last game before half-time, they hadn’t won a game since beating Leicester on October 8. They currently sit 14th in the league.
The two clubs have only met 17 times in the past, with Chelsea winning 11 of them, and only 1 draw being played.
However, of late, Bournemouth have become a ghost team for Chelsea, winning 3 of the 5 they have won, since a 3-0 win over us in 2018.
And Chelsea haven’t beaten Bournemouth since that same year, with a 1-0 League Cup win in December 2018.
Chelsea have drawn one and lost two in the last three games, suffering an embarrassing 4-0 defeat in January 2019.
So, it’s not going to be an easy game for Chelsea, as it never is in this league. But I hope we get the job done.
In terms of lineups and predictions, based on everything I’ve heard about the past few weeks and match fitness, I think we’ll start with something like this:
Obviously, predicting a starting Potter lineup is nearly impossible. But I base myself on the injuries and the condition of the World Cup.
Wesley Fofana is obviously injured now. Mason Mount will be doubtful for missing the friendly against Brentford due to injury despite the fact that he returned to training today. Reece James should be ready to go.
I think Kepa Arrizabalaga has been playing and training again, but we’re still not completely sure if he’s ready to play. In midfield too, Mateo Kovacic could be included there, but he really shouldn’t be after playing so much in the World Cup. Lewis Hall deserves to keep a starting job on his own merits.
