Preview for Chelsea v Bournemouth

Both of these sides have had three weeks to dwell on how September ended, and neither will have enjoyed the reflection. Chelsea went into the international break on the back of a 3-0 thumping at Brentford, while Bournemouth are still searching for their first Premier League win under Marco Rose.

Xabi Alonso’s reign started with plenty of noise. Chelsea won 3-2 at Fulham on the opening weekend and followed it up by beating Brighton at Stamford Bridge. Their first four league games produced 19 goals between them. Entertaining, yes. Sustainable, not so much. Defeat at Arsenal and a 2-2 draw with Hull followed, and after that Hull game Alonso admitted he was hoping for more “boring” matches. He got one at the Gtech for 45 minutes, before Jaidon Anthony, Igor Thiago and Fabio Carvalho picked his side apart in the second half.

The worry for Alonso is that Chelsea have conceded at least twice in every one of their five league games so far. Seven points from five isn’t a disaster, but it leaves the Blues well adrift of where they want to be.

Bournemouth’s start under Rose has been a strange one. The German, who replaced Andoni Iraola in the summer, saw his side take the lead in each of their first four league matches without winning any of them. They lost 2-1 at Manchester City on the opening day, then drew three in a row against Everton, Newcastle and Brentford, before a 1-0 defeat at home to Liverpool. Three points from five games has them sitting 17th.

The frustrating part for Cherries fans is that the football hasn’t been bad. They won on their Europa League debut at Real Sociedad and hammered Lincoln 4-0 in the EFL Cup, and Rose was adamant this week that the problem is not one of style. “We already see our style. A lot of things are in a good direction – we just need to get points out of the games,” he said.

They will have to find those points without their best player, though. Alex Scott, who made his full England debut in the 7-0 win in Croatia, is out for over a month.

The Premier League Table

# Team Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Pts Last 5

1	Manchester City	5	5	0	0	13	5	8	15	W W W W W
2	Arsenal	5	4	0	1	8	4	4	12	L W W W W
3	Brighton	5	3	1	1	16	5	11	10	W W D L W
4	Brentford	5	2	3	0	10	4	6	9	W D D D W
5	Leeds	5	2	3	0	7	3	4	9	D W D D W
6	Liverpool	5	2	3	0	7	4	3	9	W D W D D
7	Everton	5	2	3	0	6	3	3	9	W D D D W
8	Hull City	5	2	2	1	6	4	2	8	L D D W W
9	Newcastle	5	2	2	1	9	9	0	8	W L D W D
10	Chelsea	5	2	1	2	10	12	-2	7	L D L W W
11	Ipswich	5	2	0	3	7	11	-4	6	L W L L W
12	Manchester United	5	1	2	2	8	8	0	5	D L D W L
13	Nottingham Forest	5	1	2	2	4	5	-1	5	L W D D L
14	Sunderland	5	1	1	3	6	10	-4	4	L L D W L
15	Crystal Palace	5	1	1	3	6	11	-5	4	D L W L L
16	Aston Villa	5	1	1	3	4	9	-5	4	W L D L L
17	Bournemouth	5	0	3	2	6	8	-2	3	L D D D L
18	Coventry	5	1	0	4	1	10	-9	3	W L L L L
19	Fulham	5	0	2	3	5	8	-3	2	D D L L L
20	Tottenham	5	0	2	3	2	8	-6	2	L D D L L

• Position 1, 2, 3, 4 : Promotion – Champions League (League phase)
• Position 5 : Promotion – Europa League (League phase)
• Position 18, 19, 20 : Relegation – Championship

Team News for Chelsea v Bournemouth

Chelsea will welcome back return key midfielder Moises Caicedo who has ben limited to just 14 minutes of action this season. Reece James, Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, Marco Palestra are also available.

Jamie Gittens is sidelined with an ankle problem.

For Bournemouth, Scott is the headline absence. Eli Junior Kroupi remains sidelined, while Julian Araujo and Justin Kluivert are both nursing muscle problems.

There was one positive, with Rose confirming David Brooks is in full team training despite pulling out of the Wales squad. Veljko Milosavljevic and Amine Adli are working their way back, but Rose suggested most of his injured players are more likely to return for the Sturm Graz or Sunderland games.

Expected line-ups for Chelsea v Bournemouth

Chelsea: Martinez; Fofana, Lacroix, Colwill; Palestra, James, Caicedo, Hato; Rogers, Palmer; Joao Pedro

Bournemouth: Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Silva, Truffert; Adams, Cook; Rayan, Christie, Tavernier; Evanilson

Recent Form & Stats for Chelsea v Bournemouth

• Chelsea have taken seven points from their opening five Premier League games and are winless in their last three (D1 L2)
• Chelsea have conceded at least two goals in all five league matches under Xabi Alonso
• Bournemouth have three points from five games and sit 17th, one of only three Premier League sides yet to win this season
• The Cherries took the lead in each of their first four league games but failed to win any of them
• Marcus Tavernier is the only Bournemouth player to have scored more than once this season, with goals away at Manchester City and Newcastle
• Bournemouth’s last two Premier League visits to Stamford Bridge both ended 2-2
• Bournemouth have not beaten Chelsea in nine Premier League meetings since a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge in December 2019

Where to Watch Chelsea v Bournemouth: TV and online streams

Chelsea versus Bournemouth kicks off at 3pm BST on Saturday, October 10 at Stamford Bridge.

As a Saturday 3pm kick-off, the match is not being shown live on TV in the UK because of the blackout rules. Full live commentary is available on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds, and highlights will be on Match of the Day on Saturday night.

Global broadcast details can be found at premierleague.com.

Prediction for Chelsea v Bournemouth

This should be tight and it may be Chelsea’s bench can make a key impact late in the game.