Chelsea predicted lineup vs Bournemouth: £101m-rated duo to start as injury forces Maresca change
The latest Chelsea team news, injury update and starting XI ahead of their Premier League encounter with Bournemouth
The Premier League action returns this weekend following the international break and Chelsea will hit the road to take on Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday. The evening clash will be an opportunity for the Blues to climb up the table and close in on others ahead of them.
Chelsea are currently 11th in the standings with four points from their first three games so far. After a tough opener against Manchester City — which saw the reigning champions record an ideal start — they bounced back with a thrilling 6-2 win over Wolves, which saw Noni Madueke net a hat-trick.
Before domestic football paused for players to represent their countries, Enzo Maresca’s side drew 1-1 against Crystal Palace, so they’ll be looking for a strong performance against Bournemouth to get back on track. Meanwhile, the Cherries are a point ahead of Chelsea after banking two draws and a win so far. Their last result was a stunning 3-2 comeback over Everton, after spending almost the entire match on the back-foot.
Both sides will be up for this clash, so let’s take a look at how Chelsea could line up to face their next rivals in the Premier League.
Chelsea latest team news
Fortunately for Chelsea fans, Cole Palmer is not expected to face time on the sidelines and could be available for selection on Saturday. However, other concerns have emerged as Malo Gusto is a doubt for the weekend following his withdrawal against Crystal Palace and the France U21 team during the international break. Filip Jorgensen is also ‘being checked’ after suffering an injury with the Denmark U21 team.
Reece James remains out with a hamstring injury and Omari Kellyman has also picked up a similar problem, which is expected to keep him sidelined for the next two months. With both James and Gusto injured, Chelsea’s options at right-back are severely depleted.
Roméo Lavia’s injury record with Chelsea is far from ideal but Maresca has described his current situation as ‘not a huge concern’.
Predicted Chelsea lineup
Robert Sánchez; Axel Disasi, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernández, Moisés Caicedo, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto, Nicolas Jackson.