Chelsea vs. Bournemouth: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

Chelsea host Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge just weeks after the two sides played out a drab goalless draw.

Neither side has been in great form of late. / Visionhaus/Getty Images

Chelsea host Bournemouth face on Tuesday night, with both sides eager to reverse poor recent form.

The Blues have managed just one win in their last five Premier League matches, their inconsistency seeing them slip out of the top four despite looking like potential title contenders just a month ago.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, have not won since late October. A string of draws has done little to help, leaving them perilously close to the relegation zone.

Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the encounter, including predicted lineups and key talking points.

---

What Time Does Chelsea vs. Bournemouth Kick-Off?

• Location: London, England
• Stadium: Stamford Bridge
• Date: Tuesday, Dec. 30
• Kick-off Time: 7.30 p.m. BST / 2.30 p.m. ET / 11.30 a.m. PT
• Referee: Samuel Barrott
• VAR: Craig Pawson

---

Chelsea vs. Bournemouth Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)

• Chelsea: 2 wins
• Bournemouth: 0 wins
• Draws: 3

• Last meeting: Bournemouth 0–0 Chelsea (Dec. 6, 20256)—Premier League

---

Current Form (All Competitions)

Chelsea	Bournemouth
Chelsea 1–2 Aston Villa - 27/12/25	Brentford 4–1 Bournemouth - 27/12/25
Newcastle 2–2 Chelsea - 20/12/25	Bournemouth 1–1 Burnley - 20/12/25
Cardiff 1–3 Chelsea - 16/12/25	Man Utd 4–4 Bournemouth - 15/12/25
Chelsea 2–0 Everton - 13/12/25	Bournemouth 0–0 Chelsea - 06/12/25
Atalanta 2–1 Chelsea - 09/12/25	Bournemouth 0–1 Everton - 02/12/25

---

How to Watch Chelsea vs. Bournemouth on TV

Country	TV Channel/Live Stream
United Kingdom	Sky Go UK, NOW, SKY GO Extra, Sky Ultra HD, Sky Sports Main Event
United States	USA Network, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, NBC Sports App, nbcsports.com, UNIVERSO, UNIVERSO NOW
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 3 Canada
Mexico	FOX One

• MORE: Full list of Premier League broadcasters around the world

---

Chelsea Team News

Marc Cucurella could miss the game against Bournemouth. / Julian Finney/Getty Images

The biggest concern for Chelsea is the potential absence of star left back Marc Cucurella, who requested to be substituted in the second half of the Blues’ 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa due to a hamstring problem.

The club has been awaiting the results of his fitness tests.

Elsewhere, long-term absentees Levi Colwill and Roméo Lavia remain sidelined, along with youngster Dário Essugo, who continues to recover from injury. Jorrel Hato should be back in contention after missing the Villa game with a minor knock sustained against Newcastle.

The main positive for Chelsea is that Cole Palmer is fully fit and expected to start for the third consecutive match.

---

Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Bournemouth

How Chelsea could line up against Bournemouth. / FotMob

Chelsea predicted lineup vs. Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Sánchez; Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Hato; Caicedo, James; Palmer, Enzo, Neto; Pedro.

---

Bournemouth Team News

Tyler Adams is out for a while. / Visionhaus/Getty Images

Bournemouth travel to Chelsea with several injury concerns and will be without one of their key players, American midfielder Tyler Adams.

Adams remains sidelined after tearing his MCL in the recent’ 4–4 draw with Manchester United. He is expected to miss several months, leaving a significant gap in Andoni Iraola’s midfield.

In addition, Veljko Milosavljevic, Ben Doak and Matai Akinmboni are all unavailable for selection.

---

Bournemouth Predicted Lineup vs. Chelsea

Bournemouth could line up like this against Chelsea. / FotMob

Bournemouth predicted lineup vs. Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Petrović; Smith, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert; Cook, Scott; Jiménez, Tavernier, Semenyo; Kroupi.

---

Chelsea vs. Bournemouth Score Prediction

What looked like a straightforward fixture for Chelsea a month ago now feels far less certain, even with Cole Palmer back and fit.

The outcome will likely hinge on which Chelsea team turns up. If it’s the side that recently beat Liverpool in the Premier League and Barcelona in the Champions League, they should have too much quality for Bournemouth—especially in midfield, where the absence of Tyler Adams is keenly felt.

However, if the Chelsea that lost to Leeds and drew with Newcastle shows up, the Cherries could cause problems, particularly through Antoine Semenyo—arguably the division’s most dangerous winger this season in what could be a farewell game—and young striker Junior Kroupi.

Ultimately, though, the home side should just edge it. Expect a narrow Chelsea victory.

Prediction: Chelsea 2–1 Bournemouth

---

READ THE LATEST CHELSEA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE

feed