Chelsea vs Bournemouth: Preview, TV channel info, Live stream, Team News, Prediction, Betting odds

Mourinho will be hoping his side can do the job without much trouble against a struggling Bournemouth side

Chelsea have somehow managed to pull back their disastrous season so far with 2 wins, a draw and 3 clean sheets in all competitions. Jose Mourinho was pleased with how his team played against Tottenham Hotspurs last weekend. Having managed to keep a clean sheet against the high-flying Spurs is surely going to boost the morale of the team.

Bournemouth are playing in the top-flight for the first time in their 125-year history. The Cherries have managed just 4 points from a possible 21 points away from home so far. They last won against West Ham in August and drew to Everton last week.

5 points separate Chelsea (15), who are at the 14th position, four places above Bournemouth (10).

In all competitions, the two sides have met just 5 times previously, with the Londoners winning 4 and the Cherries just once.

Kickoff and Live Telecast

Date & Time: 5th December 2015 17:30 GMT (11PM IST)

Venue: Stamford Bridge, London

Referee: Mike Jones

Telecast: StarSports 4/HD4

Live Stream: starsports.com/Hotstar

Team News

Chelsea

Mourinho would be glad to welcome back his number one keeper, Thibaut Courtois who had been sidelined for four months after picking up an injury. He will be eager to give him game time, as he wants Courtois to be ready to face Porto next week in an important Champions League game.

Remy is also back after missing out last week, as his wife was due to give birth to their first child.

Mourinho had confirmed in his pre-match conference that both Ramires and Terry, who picked up injuries on their trip to Maccabi, would be unavailable tomorrow. Meanwhile, Falcao is also out for the clash against the Cherries.

The Portuguese confirmed Matic had a broken nose, but there was nothing to worry about as he trained wearing a mask and is available for the match. He is expected to start Diego Costa tomorrow, after leaving him out for the London Derby last week.

Milestones

• If Azpilicueta is selected, he will make his 100th Premier League appearance today.
• Terry is also just one game away from his 300th Premier League win and will then join Giggs (407), Lampard (349) and Scholes (321) as the 4th player to achieve the milestone.

Bournemouth

The Cherries have a lot of injuries affecting them. Harry Arter has a hamstring injury and is a doubt for the clash. Along with him is Lee Tomlin, who is suffering from a groin injury and Marc Pugh has a calf injury, with both doubtful to start on Saturday. Tommy Elphick is out with an ankle injury.

On loan from Chelsea, Christian Atsu, is also sidelined with a shin injury. Tyrone Mings, Max Gradel and Callum Wilson, all three have knee injuries and would remain sidelined.

The Cherries also have a goalkeeper crisis ahead of the clash. Artur Boruc and Adam Federici have both visited a specialist to examine their respective knee and ankle problems.

If neither of them are available, Ryan Allsop would start against Chelsea, while the 18-year-old Jordan Holmes has been recalled from a loan deal at Weymouth as cover.

Probable XI

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Begovic; Ivanovic, Zouma, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Willian, Pedro, Hazard; Costa

Bournemouth (4-4-1-1): Allsop; Daniels, Francis, Distin, Smith; Stanislas, Gosling, Surman, Ritchie; King; Murray

Expected Lineup

Form

Chelsea

The Blues come into this game with confidence after managing to keep Spurs from scoring at White Hart Lane. Chelsea showed a lot of character while defending, and their overall play has been better. It was as if one was watching last season’s Chelsea play. They just lacked a goal; otherwise they had a fantastic outing and should be proud of it.

Chelsea have improved defensively and have managed to keep 3 clean sheets in a row.

The Blues have scored in 26 consecutive home league matches, the longest current run in the Premier League.

Chelsea: L-L-L-W-D (Last game: 0-0 against Spurs)

Bournemouth

Having not won a league match since September, Bournemouth now travel to London. But manager Howe would have seen some positives after last weekend’s performance.

The Cherries were 2-0 down against Everton within 36 minutes. But they managed to score 2 goals in the span of 8 minutes and one would have thought the game would end in a draw. But there was more drama. Everton scored in injury time just when they thought they had taken all 3 points, Stanislas scored just before the final whistle and the game ended 3-3.

The Cherries have kept just one clean sheet so far this season and this has been a major worry for Howe.

Bournemouth do not have a good away record as well. They have won just once (West Ham 3-4 Bournemouth) in their last 6 outings.

Bournemouth: L-L-L-D-D (Last game: 3-3 against Everton)

Match Facts (Powered by Opta)

• Chelsea have won their last 3 competitive meetings with AFC Bournemouth without conceding a goal.
• The Cherries have lost just once out of their last 5 trips to London, and won the remaining 4 games.
• The Blues are unbeaten in their last 43 home league games against newly promoted teams winning 37 of those and drew the remaining 6 games.
• Bournemouth have conceded 18 goals away from home so far this season, which is a joint-high in the BPL along with Newcastle and Sunderland.

Overall Record

Total: 5

Chelsea wins: 4

Bournemouth wins: 1

Draw: 0

At Stamford Bridge

Total: 1

Chelsea wins: 1

Bournemouth wins: 0

Draw: 0

Biggest League Win at Stamford Bridge between the two sides

Chelsea 2-0 Bournemouth (25/03/1989)

Betting Odds (BET365)

Chelsea to win: 4/11

Draw: 17/4

Bournemouth to win: 17/2

Prediction

This shouldn’t be a tough fixture for Chelsea. Jose Mourinho would want to capitalize on easy fixtures and make up for the points that have been lost. After managing to keep 3 clean sheets, this should be no exception.

Predicted Score: Chelsea 3-0 Bournemouth