Stage set: Stamford Bridge
Chelsea take on Bournemouth this evening looking to move back into the top four. The Blues were leapfrogged by Liverpool over the weekend after their 2-1 home defeat by Aston Villa last time out. Liverpool took full advantage with a 2-1 win over Brighton, which moved the Premier League champions back into the Champions League places.
Enzo Maresca’s side will feel Manchester United breathing down their necks after Ruben Amorim’s men moved level on points with Chelsea after a 1-0 victory over Newcastle at Old Trafford. The Blues are coming off two games without a win, having drawn 2-2 with Newcastle before Christmas, and the Villa defeat followed soon after thanks to two goals from Ollie Watkins off the bench.
Tonight, the west Londoners are looking to get back to winning ways - and back into the top four - but they face a tricky Bournemouth side who held them to a 0-0 draw at the Vitality Stadium earlier this month. Despite their sitting in 15th, Andoni Iraola’s men are no slouches. Keep abreast of all the latest from Stamford Bridge with our live blog below.
Chelsea vs Bournemouth latest news
Standard Sport prediction
Chelsea were superb in the first half against Aston Villa, and more of the same against one of the most porous defences in the league will surely bear fruit.
Chelsea’s attack was rampant and littered the Villa goal with shots, so are good enough to rack up enough chances to give the Cherries another tough afternoon in west London.
The big danger is, of course, Semenyo. Will he have a goodbye gift up his sleeve?
Chelsea to win, 2-0.
Bournemouth team news
David Brooks, Evanilson and Justin Kluivert will all be pushing to start after coming off the bench against Brentford, so Bournemouth could boast a completely changed attack in west London.
Antoine Semenyo could be playing his final game for Bournemouth ahead of a suspected move to Chelsea. Veljko Milosavljevic, Tyler Adams and Ben Doak remain sidelined.
Chelsea team news
Chelsea face a nervous wait over Marc Cucurella after the defender asked to be substituted against Villa with a suspected hamstring injury. He will undergo scans on the problem area. Fellow left-sided defender Jorrel Hato is expected to miss out with an injury.
Liam Delap and Estevao came off the bench against Villa, marking their returns from injury, and both could start as Enzo Maresca continues to shuffle his pack. Wesley Fofana was another on the bench at the weekend, but should come back in in place of Benoit Badiashile.
How to watch
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports, with coverage on Sky Sports Main Event starting at 6.30pm.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app and website.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Dom Smith at the ground.
Hello and welcome!
... to our LIVE coverage of Chelsea vs Bournemouth.
The Blues take on the Cherries looking to get back to winning ways after two games without a victory either side of Christmas.
They are also out to retake their place in the top four, where they were leapfrogged by Liverpool last weekend.
Stay tuned for all the updates, with kick off at 7.30pm GMT.