Bournemouth vs Chelsea 27.10.2017/ England
Eddie Howe’s side are certainly better at home than they are away from home, and have registered three wins and a draw from their last four outings on home turf.
Despite their reasonable home form, Bournemouth do not have a good record against a Chelsea. From 10 meetings, Bournemouth have won just twice with Chelsea securing seven victories. Chelsea have also won the last three game since between the two sides, scoring ten goals in the process. You have to go back to 1988 to find the only time Bournemouth have beaten Chelsea at home
Bournemouth have strikers Callum Wilson nearing full fitness after injury but do look short of options up front, with fellow striker Josh King also lacking full fitness. Afobe is likely to lead the line on his own here.
Chelsea sit a full nine points off the pace in the Premier League and rumour has it that the Stamford Bridge hierarchy are getting frustrated with their coach Antonio Conte despite him leading the side to the title last season.
Chelsea have had a few injuries, but the injuries cannot be used as an excuse for the poor performances in numerous games this season. The real problem seems to be a lack of defensive organisation, despite this appearing their main strength last season.
It is difficult to pinpoint what has changed, as its largely the same players and tactics, but maybe Conte is a short term impact manager with one fixed approach that players get bored with. Their fans are certainly getting bored of conceding goals – Chelsea have conceded nine goals in their last five matches and just one clean sheet in the last eight games.
Chelsea could welcome back star man N’Golo Kante after a hamstring injury, a player who will certainly improve their team tremendously, and also should have fellow defensive midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko available after he missed the last two games. This will bring back a bit of balance to the Chelsea side, relieve a bit of the defensive pressure and free up their attacking players to do their thing.
Despite their problems, I do fancy Chelsea to collect three points here on the south coast. It’s a game they must win to avoid slipping up for the fourth time in six matches and it’s a game that is very winnable. The likely pace of the match and Bournemouth's tactics will play into Chelsea’s hands and I can see a comfortable away win in the end.
