Bournemouth vs Chelsea, England – Premier League,
At Vitality Stadium. Time:
20:45
Chelsea managers have
made it a habit to start their reign in winning style. Sarri could become the
fourth Chelsea manager to win his first four matches in charge of the Blues on
Saturday, joining Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink and Carlo
Ancelotti in achieving that feat.
The Italian had very
little time to tinker with the squad before the commencement of the league due
to the drawn-out process of dismissing Antonio Conte and his backroom
staff, but he has hit the ground running with wins over Huddersfield Town,
Arsenal and most recently Newcastle United.
The victory over
Gunners at Stamford Bridge was a major boost for Chelsea, particularly having
thrown away a two-goal lead prior to their late winner by Marcus Alonso, and
they quickly followed it up with a 2-1 triumph at St James’ Park in a
game that came to life in the final stages.
The Blue’s win over
Newcastle came courtesy of an Eden Hazard penalty and DeAndre
Yedlin own goal, either side of Joselu’s leveller, just about got
Sarri’s men over the line, and they now have back-to-back home games against
Bournemouth and Cardiff City to look forward to over the next fortnight.
Chelsea cannot afford
to underrate Bournemouth. No reminder is needed that Bournemouth claimed a
shock 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge in January, 25 months on from a 1-0
triumph there in their maiden Premier League campaign.
No side has beaten the
Blues more often at Stamford than the Cherries over the past three seasons, in
fact, only Liverpool, Manchester City and Crystal Palace have defeated Chelsea
twice at Stamford Bridge within the same period.
This fixture is a
tricky one for the Blues, but if Chelsea can pick up the win it will be the
sixth time that they have kicked off a Premier League season with 12 points
from 12. Only on one of those previous occasions have they failed to lift the
title nine months later.
The Cherries have been
pretty impressive and they seemed to have picked up from where they left off
last season in many ways by showing plenty of character, having trailed
1-0 at the London Stadium and found themselves two down at home
to Everton last time out.
Eddie Howe’s men have
collected 25 points from losing positions from last season and this more than
any other side in the Premier League has been able to manage. Going back a
little further, meanwhile, nine wins from losing positions since August 2015 is
bettered only by Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in that time.
Hence, it is not
surprising that Eddie Howe has hailed the resilience of his side, and
the highly-respected English boss has also boasted about the Cherries’
chances of winning some silverware this season following that
straightforward win over MK Dons in the EFL cup.
Ten changes were made
in midweek, with Ryan Fraser the only survivor from the latest
gripping instalment of a fixture between Everton and Bournemouth, so fatigue
should not be an issue for the Cherries on Saturday.
After finishing 16th,
ninth and 12th in their three seasons since earning their first promotion to
the Premier League, it remains to be seen what constitutes a good campaign for
Howe and his men this time around.
On the basis of six
wins and a draw from their last seven competitive outings, and no more members
of last season’s top six to face before November after this weekend, another
top-half finish could well be on the cards for the south coast side if they can
push on.
Team News
Spanish
midfielder Cesc Fabregas remains the only doubt for Sarri, so the
Italian may well stick with the same side that edged past Newcastle last
weekend.
Eden Hazard was handed
his first start of the season in that match, as was full debutant Mateo
Kovacic, and both men came through unscathed in the North-East.
N’Golo
Kante and Jorginho are almost certain to retain their midfield
places, barring any injury problems, so Ross Barkley and Ruben
Loftus-Cheek will again battle for a place among the subs.
Sarri looks likely to
continue fielding striker Alvaro Morata through the middle,
meanwhile, with Olivier Giroud providing a different alternative from
the bench.
After serving a
one-match man in midweek, Adam Smith is back available for the home
side, while Diego Rico could make his Premier League bow after
serving a longer suspension.
Lys
Mousset twisted his ankle against the Dons and will, therefore, miss out
on selection, as will Marc Pugh, but Jefferson Lerma got minutes
under his belt in the week and could come into the side at Stamford Bridge.
Up top, Joshua
King has played a direct part in 38 Premier League goals for the Cherries
– 14 more than any of his teammates – with 31 of his own and seven assists.
Chelsea possible starting
lineup:
Kepa; Alonso, Luiz,
Rudiger, Azpilicueta; Kovacic, Jorginho, Kante; Hazard, Morata, Pedro
Bournemouth possible starting
lineup:
Begovic; Smith, Cook,
Ake, Daniels; Brooks, Lerma, Surman, Fraser; Wilson, King
Head To Head
Bournemouth has won
twice at Stamford Bridge during their Premier League tenure and lost
once, most recently prevailing 3-0 at the end of January
when Callum Wilson, Nathan Ake and Junior
Stanislas all netted.
Overall, though, the
Cherries have lost nine of the previous 12 encounters in all competitions, with
that victory seven months ago ending a five-match losing run in this fixture.
Chelsea also knocked
Bournemouth out of the EFL Cup last season in the fifth round thanks to a
dramatic late goal from Morata to cancel out Dan Gosling’s late
leveller
SOURCE
