Chelsea vs Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge for their first post-World Cup competitive fixture on Tuesday evening.

Match Details:

Location: London, England
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Date: Tuesday 27 December
Kick-off Time: 11 PM IST
VAR: David Coote
Referee: Simon Hooper

Chelsea vs Bournemouth: Match Preview:

Chelsea will be under pressure to get off to a winning start when Bournemouth travel to the capital on Monday.

Three defeats in a row sent the Blues into the World Cup break scratching around for positives amid an injury crisis and serious lack of form in attack.

Patiently waiting for tomorrow. 💪 pic.twitter.com/RhlWm8UdfY
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 26, 2022

Graham Potter has welcomed back some of his absent players but plenty of questions remain. Answers will be demanded fast with Chelsea eight points off the top four ahead of the Premier League restart.

Bournemouth were knocked out of the Carabao Cup upon their return to action and have only a three-point buffer over the relegation zone.

👉 Opening 14 games
👉 Changes under Potter
👉 Injuries or suspensions @NizaarKinsella gave us the lowdown on tomorrow's opponents, Chelsea 🧐📝
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) December 26, 2022

Team News:

Chelsea:

The World Cup hiatus was supposed to be an opportunity for Potter to recover his ailing stars. Reece James and Carney Chukwuemeka are in contention to feature against Bournemouth but both Wesley Fofana and Armando Broja sustained knee injuries during winter friendlies.

Doubts linger over Ben Chilwell as he nears a return from a thigh issue - a problem area which is expected to sideline N'Golo Kante until February.

We love this! 🤗 pic.twitter.com/J72n5hngJW
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 24, 2022

Kepa Arrizabalaga and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are creeping back towards competitive action following foot and calf problems respectively.

Croatia's Mateo Kovacic and Morocco's Hakim Ziyech faced off in the third-place playoff which took place ten days before Tuesday's top-flight fixture, leaving little room for recovery.

Bournemouth:

O'Neil described the days leading up to Bournemouth's Carabao Cup defeat against Newcastle on Tuesday as "a tough week" after losing as many as ten players to a virus. With seven days between the cup tie and trip to Stamford Bridge, it remains to be seen how many players can recover in time.

Fully focused on the task ahead 💯

Can't wait to be back at it tomorrow ❤️ pic.twitter.com/hvsRSKoMP3
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) December 26, 2022

Jefferson Lerma, Ryan Fredericks and Marcus Tavernier are believed to be part of this sickly cabal.

Some great memories over the years 😍

A look back at some of our favourite goals at Stamford Bridge ahead of tomorrow 🚀

Which one's your favourite? 🤔#PLReturns // #afcb 🍒 pic.twitter.com/Ec8FWyhtLK
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) December 26, 2022

Neither goalkeeper Neto nor captain Lloyd Kelly were available for the cup tie against the Magpies even though both returned from injury to take part in the club's warm-weather training camp. David Brooks has also gotten back out on the grass during the off-season.

Chelsea vs Bournemouth: Head to Head:

The two teams have locked horns 17 times across competitions, including their first meeting in 1988. The Blues lead 11-5, while one game has been drawn.

🥺 pic.twitter.com/Lz0YXF7uWS
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 24, 2022

The Blues are winless in their last three meetings against Bournemouth, losing twice.

Predicted Line-ups:

Chelsea Starting 11 (3-4-3): Arrizabalaga; Chalobah, Silva, Koulibaly; James, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek, Cucurella; Mount, Aubameyang, Sterling.
Bench: Mendy, Bettinelli, Azpilicueta, Havertz, Pulisic, Zakaria, Gallagher, Hall, Hutchinson.

Bournemouth Starting 11 (4-4-2): Travers; Smith, Mepham, Senesi, Zemura; Christie, Billing, Cook, Anthony; Solanke, Moore.
Bench: Sadi, Plain, Hill, Greenwood, Stacey, Emiliano, Dembele, Lowe, Adu-Adjei.

CHE vs BOU: Dream11 Predictions:

For more Chelsea vs Bournemouth news, follow Sportz Point.

Tag: Bournemouth

Chelsea vs Bournemouth: EPL Match Preview, Predicted Line-ups and Dream11 Predictions

EPL news: Frank Lampard pulls Everton players away from furious fans as police intervene

Eddie Howe: Meet the new Newcastle United Coach