Chelsea will be looking to bounce back after their surprising loss to Everton in the Premier League last weekend. The Blues just about edged past Lille in the Champions League to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League, and now have a tricky test against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues’ gap to Manchester United, who are fifth in the league, is just five points, which makes it vital for them to register a win on Saturday, to keep their place safe in the top 4.
Let’s take a look at the possible Chelsea lineup for the game against Bournemouth:
Team News
Fikayo Tomori missed the mid-week game due to a hip injury and will be unavailable for selection here.
But, manager Frank Lampard will not be too worried as he has Antonio Rudiger back from injury. Ruben Loftus-Cheek will surely miss the game, while veteran striker Olivier Giroud is a doubt for the game.
PREDICTED CHELSEA LINEUP VS BOURNEMOUTH (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Kepa should start in goal for Chelsea and is the only player in the squad to have started all 16 league games this season.
Defence
It will be interesting to see if Lampard plays Rudiger again, after the German international’s return to the team mid-week. Rudiger had only played one half of football this season before the game against Lille. He will most likely start at the back alongside Kurt Zouma given Chelsea will be afforded an 8-day gap before their next fixture.
Captain César Azpilicueta scored the crucial second goal for Chelsea against Lille; he should start in the Chelsea defence, perhaps at left-back, with Reece James returning to the right-back slot in the Chelsea lineup.
James was an unused substitute in the Champions League game.
Midfield
Lampard could revert to a two-man midfield for the game against Bournemouth, with one of the three central midfielders dropped for an attacking midfielder.
N’Golo Kante could start for the Blues, with Mateo Kovacic playing alongside him in midfield. Kovacic has been in good form for the Blues recently and deserves a start.
Mason Mount, a late substitute in the game against Lille, could replace Jorginho in midfield and play in the No. 10 role for the Blues.
Lampard could decide to go with any two of the three central midfielders at his disposal making this a tricky pick for us.
Attack
Tammy Abraham, who scored the first goal in the Champions League game, should start up front in the Chelsea lineup, with Christian Pulisic playing off the left.
Willian put in a fantastic performance against Lille, and he could retain his place on the right.
