After stumbling against Crystal Palace, Chelsea will have another tough test in an away trip to face Bournemouth. It’s hard to tell how good the Blues are under Enzo Maresca in the early going of the Premeir Leauge season. They’ve been dependent on the form of Cole Palmer, who could miss the match after pulling out of the England squad ahead of the international break. Meanwhile, the break came at a bad time for the Cherries who scored three goals after the 86th minute to overturn a two goal deficit against Everton for their first victory of the season. To take a step forward to being true contenders for Europe, they’ll want to defeat Chelsea at their home stadium.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, Sep. 14 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Vitality Stadium — Bournemouth, England
- Live stream: Peacock
- Odds: Bournemouth +240; Draw +250; Chelsea +100
Storylines
Bournemouth: Andoni Iraola is off to a good start to the season as they’re undefeated through three matches. While Bournemouth could use more goals, the fact that it has been a team effort for their five goals scored will be a positive metric heading into the weekend. Chelsea will focus on Antoine Semenyo who has two goals and one assist so far, but the international break will have given Iraola time to work with Evanilson who is still in search of his first Premier League goal since joining.
Chelsea: WIth inconsistent performances this season, it’s hard to tell who the real Chelsea are. They’ve been better in attack than in years past and Nicolas Jackson seems to be finding his way, but for Maresca, getting the same performance out of his players each time out is critical. Jadon Sancho’s integration is something that could help, but with European soccer on the horizon, being able to know what Chelsea’s bloated squad will produce moving forward will be important.
Prediction
The Blues will struggle yet again dropping points away to Bournemouth in a thrilling draw. Pick: Bournemouth 1, Chelsea 1
