Chelsea vs Bournemouth – Premier League Match Preview | OneFootball

Chelsea can confirm their place in European competition for next season with a point in their final fixture of the Premier League season against Bournemouth.

Here is all you need to know about Sunday’s clash.

Form

Chelsea: DWWWW

Four wins on the bounce have placed Chelsea in pole position for European qualification as Mauricio Pochettino’s side finish the season strongly. After a nightmare start the inexperienced Blues have shown signs of recovery and head into the final day on the back of successive wins on the road.

Christopher Nkunku returned to the scoresheet at Brighton and the Frenchman will hope to end an injury-ravaged debut season at Chelsea with a place in the starting XI. The 26-year-old has three league goals from just two starts, though will miss Euro 2024 after being left out of the French squad for the tournament.

Cole Palmer, meanwhile, scored his 22nd goal of the Premier League season against Brighton. The 21-year-old is behind only Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot standings, while just two players – Didier Drogba and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink – have ever scored more goals for Chelsea in a Premier League season.

Thiago Silva could make his final appearance for the Blues at Stamford Bridge. The veteran will join Brazilian club Fluminense this summer.

Bournemouth: LWWLL

Bournemouth will harbour hopes of a top-half finish heading into the final weekend. The Cherries are 11th in the table, behind 10th-placed Brighton on goal difference, and could finish anywhere from 10th to 13th.

The South Coast side secured a big boost this summer after head coach Andoni Iraola agreed a new deal. The Spaniard has overcome a tough start to impress in his debut campaign and is now contracted at Bournemouth until 2026.

Elsewhere, Dominic Solanke needs just one more goal to reach 20 in the Premier League this season with only Cole Palmer (22) having score more among English players in the division in 2023/24.

Solanke has more than trebled his goal return from last season and will still have hopes of gatecrashing the England squad for Euro 2024 ahead of Tuesday’s announcement, despite being overlooked in March.

Last Meeting

Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea, Premier League, September 17th 2023

Not much to write about here.

Two struggling sides played out the first goalless draw of the Premier League campaign, in  a game low on quality. Chelsea had the best chances to win it with Nicolas Jackson and Raheem Sterling hitting the woodwork, while Levi Colwill had a goal disallowed for offside.

Both have improved from this one.

Predicted Lineups

Chelsea: Petrovic; Gusto, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher, Palmer; Madueke, Sterling, Jackson.

Bournemouth: Travers; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kelly; Cook, Christie, Scott; Semenyo, Kluivert, Solanke.

Who is the referee?

Anthony Taylor.

What channel is Chelsea v Bournemouth on?

UK and Ireland: Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Arena.

What time is kick-off?

16:00 BST, Sunday May 19th 2024.

Odds

Chelsea – 9/20

Draw – 4/1

Bournemouth – 5/1

Read – The most Premier League goals scored for Chelsea in a single season

See more – Premier League: Six talking points ahead of the final day

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