Chelsea manager Frank Lampard will have to motivate his team to put in a better performance come Saturday when they face Bournemouth.
The Blues received a mauling at the hands of Bayern Munich and were outplayed at home by the German giants, losing the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie 3-0.
Frank Lampard’s side travel to the Vitality Stadium, and will hope to get an important win to extend their lead over their nearest rivals as the gap between the teams chasing a finish in the top four has reduced.
The last time Bournemouth and Chelsea faced each other in the league, the Cherries pulled off a surprising 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea Team News
Callum Hudson-Odoi, N’Golo Kante, and Christian Pulisic are all most likely set to miss Chelsea’s trip to Bournemouth, while Tammy Abraham is a doubt too after suffering an injury during the loss to Bayern Munich this past midweek.
Ahead of the clash between Chelsea and Bournemouth, let’s take a look at the possible Chelsea lineup:
Predicted Chelsea Lineup vs Bournemouth
Goalkeeper
Willy Caballero seems to be the preferred option right now, which means that Kepa will once again have to be content with a position on the bench.
Defence
Lampard could once again revert to a four-man defence, ditching the three-man defensive set-up that he used in the game against Bayern Munich.
Antonio Rudiger should keep his place at the back, and play alongside either Kurt Zouma or Fikayo Tomori as Andreas Christensen may face the axe. Zouma could get the nod ahead of Tomori to start beside Rudiger at the back.
Reece James will retain his position at right-back, while captain César Azpilicueta should start at left-back for the Blues against Bournemouth.
Midfield
Lampard may play a three-man midfield with Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic holding on to two of three midfield places in the Chelsea lineup.
Mason Mount could be the third man in midfield, playing in a more advanced role. Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are options for Lampard in the middle as well.
Attack
Olivier Giroud will most likely lead the line with Tammy Abraham out injured. Pedro could get a start, playing from the right, while Willian could feature on the left.
