Chelsea FC vs AFC Bournemouth, Premier League 2022-2023, Today Match Prediction

Chelsea FC vs AFC Bournemouth Match Prediction & Analysis

The World Cup break may have come at a good time for Chelsea and Graham Potter, with the club tasting a run of three straight defeats.

Potter is yet to silence his critics since his appointment, with many criticising his constant squad rotation and formation changes in almost every game.

While he will be given plenty of time under Chelsea’s new ownership model, results will still be required soon. Chelsea are a winning club, after all.

Bournemouth’s ownership battle has concluded over the World Cup break, with a consortium led by Bill Foley taking the Cherries over from Maxim Denim.

Greater stability often brings better performances on the pitch, especially if there are additional transfer funds to spend in January. 

Gary O’Neil deserved his appointment as Bournemouth’s permanent manager, but results need to improve if he is to remain in the long term.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Chelsea FC Preview

Reasons to be cheerful:

     World Cup break will have given Potter a chance to reset

     Most players should be available after World Cup duty

Reasons to be fearful:

     Lost three of five home games against Bournemouth

     Three defeats in a row and no wins from last five league games

This is looking like a reset season for Chelsea football club.

Having departed with Thomas Tuchel, new owner Todd Boehly has opted to bring in a fresh manager, one who has little experience at this level but plenty of potential.

Unlike Tuchel’s first few months at the club, Potter has struggled to settle on a consistent team and style of play, which has led to mixed results and a less-than-satisfactory league position of 8th.

They entered the World Cup break with no wins from five, a run which included some disappointing results to Arsenal in the league and Manchester City in the Carabao Cup.

Potter has been without a number of key players of late, including both full backs, the stalwart Kante and expensive defender Wesley Fofana. 

Reece James should be fit to return here, while World Cup stars Hakim Ziyech and Mateo Kovacic are likely to miss out having reached the latter stages of the tournament with their countries.

Star Man – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Has a brilliant record in the Premier League from his time at Arsenal, but needs to kick on for Chelsea now. Potter needs his central striker fit and firing on all cylinders.

AFC Bournemouth Preview

Reasons to be cheerful

     Scored eight goals in their last three games

     A decent record against Chelsea over the years

Reasons to be fearful

     Have four defeats from their last five games despite scoring heavily

     Defeat could leave them on the verge of the bottom three

It’s hard to imagine that any manager could have done better at Bournemouth than Gary O’Neil, considering how he was thrust into action after Scott Parker’s sacking.

He has now been handed the role on a permanent basis, although that will come with its own pressures and concerns. There are now no excuses for poor performance – the buck will stop with him ultimately.

He is likely to have a decent transfer budget in January to bolster his squad, something which is needed looking at their league position. He won’t want to be sucked into a relegation scrap after a positive start.

On the positive side, the Cherries have a decent record over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge recently, with three wins from five games.

Furthermore, they shouldn’t be impacted by the World Cup to as great an extent as Chelsea, and should have close to a full squad to choose from here.

Star Man – Marcus Tavernier

Has been crucial for Bournemouth this season – no other Cherries player has as many goal involvements as Tavernier, with two goals and four assists.