Chelsea will be looking to restart their Premier League campaign on a positive note when they welcome Bournemouth to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
The two sides are separated by five points in the Premier League table, with eighth-place Chelsea leading fourteenth-place Bournemouth.
The Blues find themselves eight points shy of the Champions League places, while the Cherries sit three points outside the relegation zone.
It’s fair to say that Chelsea have endured an inconsistent season up to now, having registered six wins, three draws and five losses in the Premier League.
In fact, Graham Potter’s side have failed to win any of their previous five league outings – recording back-to-back draws before suffering three straight defeats.
When you look at the bigger picture, however, Chelsea have lost just four of their last 36 home games at Stamford Bridge. This record highlights their strength on home soil.
Although the Blues have failed to score in each of their past three outings across all competitions, the visit of Bournemouth provides them with the ideal opportunity to get back on track.
On the flip side, Bournemouth have recorded four wins, four draws and seven losses in the Premier League this term.
Having conceded 32 goals in 15 games (2.1 goals per game), the Cherries have the worst defensive record in the division.
Between mid-October and early November, Bournemouth suffered a four-game losing streak in the league – conceding ten goals in the process.
Granted, they finished the first phase of the season with a 3-0 victory over Everton. But they have only managed to win one of their last six Premier League encounters.
Head-to-head: Chelsea sealed four consecutive Premier League wins against Bournemouth between 2016 and 2017. Since then, however, the Cherries have lost just once in five league meetings.
Six of the past nine Premier League meetings between Chelsea and Bournemouth have produced over 2.5 goals, meaning Tuesday’s clash should be a high-scoring affair.
Team news: Chelsea’s length injury list contains Wesley Fofana, Armando Broja, Ben Chilwell, N’Golo Kante and several other first-team players.
As for Bournemouth, there are question marks over the fitness of Ryan Fredericks, Lloyd Kelly, Marcus Tavernier, Jefferson Lerma and David Brooks.
Given that Bournemouth have the worst defensive record in the Premier League, Chelsea look set to enjoy plenty of success in attack on Tuesday.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that Chelsea will score over 2.5 goals on their way to dispatching Bournemouth. A clean sheet is also on the cards for the hosts.