Chelsea vs Bournemouth preview, team news, tickets and prediction

Chelsea and Bournemouth are set to meet in mid-January 2025 for the second instalment of the 2024-25 Premier League season. The first leg of this fixture ended in a narrow win for the Blues and this is another game they will be keen to win to keep up with the rest of the teams in the European places. 

As of the time of writing, Chelsea are ranked 4th on the log with 22 points from 12 games, while Bournemouth are 13th with 15 points from the same number of games. 

Chelsea have started reaping the decision to bring in Enzo Maresca after the work Mauricio Pochettino did last term. The former Leicester City boss has worked on his team to be competitive and they have posed a strong competition to some of the established teams in the division.

With Maresca at the helm, the Blues have improved greatly and many have tipped them to mount a title challenge. Chelsea lost 2-0 to Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in their season opener before going ahead to beat Servette on aggregate to reach the UEFA Conference League group stages. Noni Madueke then notched a hat-trick against Wolves to help the Blues claim their first Premier League win of the season. 

The Stamford Bridge outfit continued to build from there and they went seven games without a defeat across all competitions. Maresca’s men won five of those games and drew the other two. A second Premier League loss of the season came when they travelled to Anfield to face Liverpool. As of the time of writing, they have not lost in the league again, but they have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup, while they have maintained their 100% winning streak in the Conference League.

Ahead of Chelsea’s game against Aston Villa in early December, Maresca ruled Chelsea out as one of the title challengers despite his side being just a point behind defending champions Manchester City on the log.

“I said many times – I didn’t like the pressure. I didn’t like to say yes we are there, but we are not there,” Maresca stated. 

“Arsenal are ahead of us, [Manchester] City is ahead of us, Liverpool showing they are ahead of us. The important thing is we improve game after game and then we will see. For me, it is not about points or the table, it is about the process and the programme. Five years together [Arsenal], nine together [Man City]… Liverpool is different but they didn’t make too many changes from before. [It’s] not about the points difference on the table, it is about the time together.”

“At the same time, you have to be realistic. You can see the difference between us and the rest in this moment. It doesn’t mean we are not going to compete and win games. We will do that to the end. The main focus has to be the feeling we are improving game after game,” the former Leicester City boss concluded. 

On the other hand, Bournemouth reached their highest point tally ever last season and manager Andoni Iraola is keen to see his side maintain that status or go even a bit further. Based on that performance, Iraola signed a contract extension that will keep him at the Premier League club until the end of the 2025-26 season just at the start of the season. Defensive midfielder Lewis Cook also signed a new contract that will keep him at Vitality Stadium until 2028, while Antoine Semenyo signed a new five-year contract with the Cherries. In addition to the renewals, the side spent a lot in the summer and they have improved from their early season slump to stay in mid-table.

As of the time of writing, Bournemouth have won four games in the Premier League this season and they have already lost to Liverpool, Brentford, Leicester and Chelsea (at home). However, they have beaten Manchester City and Arsenal at home. Just after the international break in November, the Cherries lost 2-1 to Brighton at home – a rare feat this season. 

In the head-to-head, Chelsea and Bournemouth have met 18 times since 2015. Chelsea have won 12, Bournemouth have won 4 and the remaining two have been stalemates. 

Match tickets

This match at Stamford Bridge in London kicks off on Tuesday 14th January 2025, at 19:30 GMT. 

The 40,341-capacity stadium is the place for this clash between the Blues and the Cherries.

Getting Chelsea v Bournemouth tickets could take a lot of work given the standard of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels. 

Team news

Line-ups

 Robert Sanchez has been the number one in goal in Premier League games under Maresca and he is expected to be available for this one. With a back four of Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill and Cucurella likely. In-form Caicedo will be relied upon in this Premier League fixture. The usual combo in attack – Palmer – Jackson – will be needed if they intend to claim a win at the end of 90 minutes. Skipper Reece James remains a regular in the physio’s room. 

Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Lavia, Caicedo; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson

Striker Evanilson is beginning to find his feet in the Premier League and the manager will be pleased with that. The Cherries have Tyler Adams as the only long-term absentee in the squad. The American struggled with injuries and barely played for Bournemouth during the entire duration of the 2023-24 campaign. Other key players like Semenyo and Senesi are expected to be available for selection.

Bournemouth XI: Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Adams, Cook; Semenyo, Kluivert, Tavernier; Evanilson.

Prediction

Chelsea are a different team in the Premier League this season. Under Enzo Maresca, they have found some purpose and direction. The Blues are one of the front runners for the one of the UEFA Champions League spots, while they could also be considered as one of the outsiders to win the Premier League. For the fans, getting your Chelsea tickets early is important.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth have played some fine football this season, as well as picked up some outstanding results. The Cherries have won once on the road this season, and based on their position on the log, it might be difficult to get a win against this Chelsea side.

 Chelsea 2-0 Bournemouth

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