Chelsea vs Bournemouth Prediction & Betting Tips - Premier League

Prediction published on 25/12/2022, 16:32  by Joseph King | Modified on 25/12/2022 at 16:56 in Premier League Predictions

The Premier League finally returns after the lengthy World Cup break with matchday 17 as Chelsea take on Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge. The hosts hit a tailspin just before the break, losing their last three competitive fixtures which was capped off with a 1-0 away defeat to Newcastle United in matchday 16. The only action that Chelsea played during the break was a friendly match against Aston Villa where they lost 1-0, although manager Graham Potter did elect to field a heavily rotated squad. The Blues now sit eighth in the league with six wins, three draws and five defeats in their 14 matches, putting them on 21 points and trailing the top four positions by eight points. 

They will face off against a Bournemouth team that had an encouraging string of results before the break, winning 4-1 against Everton in the EFL Cup which was followed up by a 3-0 win over Everton again in the Premier League. The Cherries currently sit 14th in the standings with four wins, four draws and seven defeats putting them on 16 points and three clear of the relegation zone. Bournemouth will attempt to bounce back here after crashing out of the EFL Cup on Tuesday following a 1-0 away defeat to Newcastle. The visitors have managed just one win in their seven away trips in the Premier League so far this season.

Chelsea fans will be concerned with the team’s offensive slump at the moment as the Blues have now failed to score in four consecutive matches including their friendly loss to Aston Villa.  That means it has now been 390 minutes of football without scoring a goal for Chelsea since the last time they found the net in the Champions League against Dinamo Zagreb in the beginning of November. With that being said, they should be confident of ending that run here as Bournemouth have conceded 24 goals as the away team for an average of 3.43 per match. This is a classic ‘get right’ spot for Chelsea and we would expect them to walk away with the three points, although it could be a low-scoring affair.