Fofana, James, Cucurella, Palmer: Chelsea team news to face Bournemouth as Maresca rules out defender
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The Chelsea team news has been confirmed for their Premier League clash against AFC Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
Chelsea are looking to get back to winning ways in the Premier League after a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, which saw them fall to fifth place.
Head coach Enzo Maresca will return to the touchline after serving his one-match touchline ban, while Moises Caicedo will need to avoid a caution to ensure he isn't suspended for the January 4 trip to Manchester City.
However, Chelsea will have Wesley Fofana available to face the Cherries. He was an unused substitute against Aston Villa. Maresca confirmed the decision was taken to manage the Frenchman's minutes.
Reece James and Cole Palmer are being continually managed by Chelsea, with Maresca confirming a decision will be taken ahead of Tuesday's match over whether the pair are available to start.
"We need to see how they are tomorrow (Sunday), and then we can decide."
However, Jorrel Hato will not be available for Chelsea selection as he continues to be sidelined after picking up a knock in the half-time warm-up against Newcastle United.
Marc Cucurella is being assessed after being taken off as a precaution against Aston Villa after flagging an issue with his hamstring.
Maresca is keen for Chelsea to end 2025 on a winning note. They fell to a 2-0 defeat to Ipswich Town in their final league outing of 2024. They’ve not lost their last league game in consecutive calendar years since 1990/1991, both times against Luton Town.
"Absolutely very important," previewed Maresca when asked how important is it for this Chelsea team to end the year on a high.
"It becomes very important to finish the year in the best way. Again, for sure it will be another tough game because they are all the same, but we need to win games as soon as possible."
Matt Debono leads the editorial team which covers Chelsea On SI. He has witnessed Chelsea win it all, whilst also featuring on ITV News, SPORTbible and various other publications.