Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of the Premier League clash between Chelsea and Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge. Kickoff is precisely an hour away but we have build-up and team news to bring you before then. First up, the two starting XIs...

CHELSEA: Courtois, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Cahill, Zappacosta, Kante, Bakayoko, Alonso, Barkley, Hazard, Pedro

BOURNEMOUTH: Begovic, Francis, Cook, Ake, Daniels, Gosling, Cook, Ibe, Stanislas, Fraser, Wilson

Let's start with the hosts, who have first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois returning to the sticks following a spell on the sidelines. Eden Hazard will lead the attack in the absence of Alvaro Morata, with support from attacking midfield pair Pedro and Ross Barkley.

Blues boss Antonio Conte has set out a four-man stall in midfield comprising Zappacosta, Kante, Bakayoko and Alonso, sitting in front of a three-men defence made up of Azpilicueta, Christensen and Cahill.

Here's what the Chelsea bench looks like: Caballero, Rudiger, Fabregas, Drinkwater, Moses, Ampadu, Hudson-Odoi.

Visitors Bournemouth have gone for a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Wilson leading the line and Stanislas, who has returned from injury to claim a spot in the starting lineup, sitting just behind him.

That Bournemouth lineup includes only one change from the side which drew 1-1 with West Ham United last time out, and that's the aforementioned Stanislas replacing Adam Smith. The Cherries' substitutes are: Boruc, Simpson, Surman, Arter, Pugh, King and Mousset.

These two sides have interests at opposite ends of the table. Chelsea head into the match in second place looking to draw level on points with Manchester United directly above them, while Bournemouth are in 13th, just two points above the relegation zone. You can check out the standings for yourself by clicking here.

We have a hectic evening of football ahead of us. This fixture is one of seven in the Premier League tonight and then there's the small matter of it being transfer deadline day. It's been a significant one for Chelsea, who completed a major coup earlier on...

That's right, Olivier Giroud has signed for the Premier League champions from fellow London outfit Arsenal, in case you weren't aware.

I'm delighted and proud to become a Chelsea player. Looking forward to make my debut. Come on the Blues! #TheBlues pic.twitter.com/a4SQxG6ZaS — Olivier Giroud (@_OlivierGiroud_) January 31, 2018

Back to the match at hand, and we'll start by looking at the head-to-head record these sides share. Chelsea have beaten Bournemouth in all of the last four Premier League matches between the two teams, although the Cherries did sneak a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge in December 2015. However, the Blues have already beaten them on this ground in the League Cup this season.

Chelsea's recent form is strong, particularly at home. They won seven out of their last eight league fixtures at Stamford Bridge and the other game was a draw with Leicester. Their unbeaten run of eight games home and away is their longest since March.

Solid defending is the bedrock of this Blues side, who are aiming to go five Premier League home matches without conceding for the first time in three years. Newcastle's Dwight Gayle is the only player to score against them on this ground in the league in seven.

Eden Hazard is the man to watch for Chelsea tonight. He's leading the attack in Morata's absence and he loves playing against Bournemouth, scoring in all of his side's four league victories over tonight's opposition.

© SilverHub

Over to the visitors Bournemouth, and they're actually in impressive form for a side just two points above the dropzone. Since Christmas, Eddie Howe's side have gone five Premier League games without defeat.

If they avoid defeat at Stamford Bridge tonight, they will make a four-game unbeaten start to a calendar year for the first time since 2012 when they were slumming it out down in League One.

Bournemouth's haul of nine points from their last five matches is only bettered by clubs in the top four, but they have been shipping goals. Their last clean sheet game 11 games ago in a 0-0 draw at Swansea on November 25.

Ryan Fraser is the man to watch for them. He's in good goalscoring form, with three strikes in as many matches, so Chelsea will need to keep a close eye on him.

© Offside

PREDICTION: I'm going with the bookmakers and backing a Chelsea for a 2-0 win tonight. Although Bournemouth have scraped victories over the Blues in each of the last two seasons, Conte's side have won nine of their last 10 matches against this evening's opposition and are in strong enough form to make that 10 out of 11, especially if Hazard brings his A game.

Pre-match quotes from both camps coming up...

.@garyjcahill: 'We've managed to keep a few clean sheets of late so we've sorted that out from the start of the season and hopefully that can continue tonight at home.' #CHEBOU pic.twitter.com/4eSyvlYr7p — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 31, 2018

CONTE: "I think for sure that it's not the best situation to prepare [for] a league game against Bournemouth but there are these types of situations you must be prepared to face. My only hope is to finish very soon this transfer market, especially because in this way you can change the questions for me."

Conte used his pre-match press conference to discuss his dealings in the transfer market and their impact on this fixture, while Howe spoke about his admiration for his opposite number...

HOWE: "In many ways he's revolutionised the Premier League. I've got a lot of time for him. If you look at a lot of teams now, they're playing five at the back, three at the back, that's down to Antonio, and the revolution he's brought to the Premier League. Tactically he's made the league more interesting, and it's been fascinating to see his work delivered on the pitch."

© SilverHub

More from Howe here...

🗣️ "We go into the game full of confidence on the back of five @premierleague games unbeaten.

"Adam Smith has a thigh problem which means he will miss a couple of games."#CHEBOU | #afcb 🍒 pic.twitter.com/CblU3Te9Es

— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) January 31, 2018

It's a big night for this man, Ross Barkley, who is making his first Premier League start in Chelsea colours tonight. The former Everton man has a point to prove after enduring an injury nightmare during the latter portion of his time at Goodison Park, and that was preceded by dwindling form.

📸 @RBarkley20 prepares for his 1st #PL start for @ChelseaFC #CHEBOU pic.twitter.com/r0H5vFzBzq — Premier League (@premierleague) January 31, 2018

For those who enjoy a flutter, Chelsea are the 3/10 favourites tonight, while a Bournemouth win is at 9/1 and a draw is priced at 17/4.

Those considering backing Bournemouth for an unlikely win, be warned, they have never pulled off a victory in a Wednesday evening Premier League fixture, losing two and drawing one.

Kickoff is just minutes away now. Stay tuned for minute-by-minute updates from Stamford Bridge...

KICKOFF! The match is underway here on a freezing cold night at Stamford Bridge. Can Chelsea draw level on points with Manchester United this evening, or will Bournemouth pull off a shock win to boost their efforts to avoid relegation?

Courtois gets his first touch early on as he is forced to race off his line to hoof a through-ball clear. Chelsea are back in possession now, searching for a way through Bournemouth's packed midfield.

Bournemouth have taken the match to Chelsea in these early stages. Stanislas gains possession in the final third and attempts to slip a through-ball in behind the Blues' defence, but he puts too much on it and it rolls out for a goalkick.

Chelsea win their first corner of the evening as Hazard twists and turns to shake off his marker before playing a cross towards the back post. Barkley is lurking there, but a Bournemouth defender beats him to it and heads the ball behind.

Fraser plays a good ball down the line to Ibe, but Christensen slides in and makes the interception before the former Liverpool man can reach it. Bournemouth have made one thing clear in these opening stages: they aren't parking the bus tonight.

Barkley has taken up a position just to the left of Hazard, with Pedro on the right. This front trio haven't seen much action so far.

There have been no clear-cut chances to speak of so far, but plenty of final-third possession from Bournemouth. They just had a shot from outside the area, with Simon Francis letting fly, but his effort was straight at Thibaut Courtois between the Chelsea sticks.

There's a half-chance for the Blues as Hazard goes on a mazey run inside the penalty area. He beats two defenders and looks to pick out Barkley or Pedro with a cut-back across the face of goal, but the ball somehow evades both of his teammates.

Chelsea register their first shot on goal through Pedro, who makes a decent run through the centre before letting fly with his left peg, putting his effort well over the crossbar.

WASTEFUL! Stanislas gains possession just outside the box with a clear sight of goal. He was in a good shooting position but attempted to lay the ball on for Wilson instead of letting fly. The Chelsea defence closes down Wilson and scrambles the ball clear.

Fraser looks like he's away for a second, and it's hearts in mouths for the home supporters, but the move is halted by the referee's whistle, blown for an off-the-ball foul on Christensen.

The ink is still drying on Giroud's Chelsea contract, so he's playing no part tonight, but he's been spotted in the stands at Stamford Bridge, sat beside his injured teammate Morata.

© SilverHub

Chelsea have seen plenty of the ball in the opening 20 or so minutes, but have done nothing with it. It's actually Bournemouth who have created more in the final third, though neither side has produced a clear-cut chance.

The Blues seeing plenty of the ball early on here, but it remains 0-0 with 15 minutes played. #CHEBOU pic.twitter.com/VXdVUluYKy

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 31, 2018

CHANCE! There's another chance for Bournemouth as Ibe collects the ball on the edge of the box, looks up, and lets fly from there, directing his strike straight at Courtois in the Chelsea goal. It was a no-nonsense save from the Belgian international, who stood tall to absorb the shot.

INJURY! Bad news for Chelsea as Christensen goes down clutching his hamstring. It doesn't look good for him and after a quick assessment, Conte withdraws him and replaces him with Rudiger. That's a major blow for the home side!

Here's a scoreline that could have a bearing on the action at Stamford Bridge. Manchester United are trailing at Tottenham Hotspur, which means the Blues could draw level on points with them if that match stays the same. Of course, Chelsea have to see off Bournemouth here in order to do that, and they're making hard work of that right now.

GOAL Spurs 1-0 Man Utd (1 min)

Wow! What a start! Christian Eriksen hits a left-footed shot into the bottom corner and the home side are ahead#TOTMUN

— Premier League (@premierleague) January 31, 2018

CLOSE! A surging run from Pedro helps Chelsea win a corner to the left of goal. Gary Cahill meets the resulting cross with a thunderous header which goes just inches over. Moments later, Alonso's cross almost picks out Hazard in front of goal, but the Belgian international can't quite reach it.

Bournemouth attempt to hit their opponents with a swift counter, but Chelsea reclaim possession and break at the other end, a move that ends with a tame Barkley effort at goal, which deflects harmlessly into the arms of Begovic.

Great tackle by Steve Cook on Eden Hazard to prevent the Belgian from going clean through on goal. The centre-back had to time his challenge to perfection, and he did, picking Hazard's pocket to thwart a goalscoring opportunity.

Another update from elsewhere that will be of interest to both teams for different reasons, league leaders Manchester City have taken the lead against West Brom.

GOAL Man City 1-0 West Brom (19 mins)

Kevin De Bruyne slides in Fernandinho who coolly places under Ben Foster#MCIWBA — Premier League (@premierleague) January 31, 2018

Chelsea have dominated possession these past few minutes without really creating much. Zappacosta's cross from over on the right almost finds the head of Alonso in front of goal, but it goes down as another squandered chance for Conte's men.

Chelsea have the ball in the net via Hazard, but he knew it wouldn't count the second it left his boot as the whistle had gone against Pedro in an offside position.

Rudiger gains possession in a deep position and goes on a blistering run into the Bournemouth half. His pace is incredible, but his through-pass towards Alonso... not so much. The ball goes out for a Bournemouth throw.

UPDATE: Spurs are now two up against United!

GOAL Spurs 2-0 Man Utd (28 mins)

Phil Jones inadvertently steers Kieran Trippier's low cross into the United net #TOTMUN — Premier League (@premierleague) January 31, 2018

Just one minute of stoppage time will be played...

There goes the half-time whistle and it's still goalless here at Stamford Bride.

Bournemouth will be the happier of the two sides, and maybe even a tad disappointed that they don't have anything to show from the chances they created. There were only two shots on target in the first half, and they both came from Cherries players.

It's Chelsea who have claimed more of the possession (59% to Bournemouth's 41%) but the visitors have been more creative in the final third, and I think that's caught Conte's side off guard. It's easy to see why Chelsea are missing Morata and why they've signed Giroud!

Here are the half-time scores in tonight's Premier League fixtures...

HALF-TIME #PL SCORES

Chelsea 0-0 Bournemouth
Everton 2-0 Leicester
Newcastle 0-0 Burnley
Southampton 0-1 Brighton#CHEBOU #EVELEI #NEWBUR #SOUBHA pic.twitter.com/Ywnr3msIjV — Premier League (@premierleague) January 31, 2018

There are three other games going on which haven't reached half time yet. Manchester City lead West Brom 1-0, Spurs are two up at home to United and Stoke versus Watford is currently goalless.

Could either side make a change at the interval? Chelsea have Fabregas fit again and could introduce him in the second period, adding creativity to the centre of the park. Meanwhile, Josh King is an option for Bournemouth, who will feel they can nick maximum points tonight based on how the first period went.

KICKOFF! Bournemouth get the second half underway. There are no changes for either side at the moment.

Kante attempts to thread a pass through the middle towards Hazard, but the Frenchman's touch is too heavy, sending the ball out of play for a throw.

Hazard wins the first corner of the second half, but Chelsea can't make anything of it. Moments later Lewis Cook kicks Hazard in the calf, giving away a free kick deep in Alonso territory...

SHOT! Alonso goes for goal, curling his shot over the wall and just over the bar. Begovic dived at full stretch and likely would have had that shot covered had it been on target, despite the wicked bend the Spaniard put on it.

Oh my word! Bournemouth take the lead out of nowhere! Seconds after Alonso put his free kick over, the Cherries launch a blistering counter. Ibe threads a sneaky through ball to Wilson and he does the rest from close quarters, sliding a low shot past Courtois and into the net. How will the Blues respond?

© SilverHub

CHANCES! Chelsea look for an immediate response from Hazard, who shoots on the turn from just inside the box, putting his effort straight at Begovic, who does well to hold onto the ball. Moments later, Gosling shoots from distance at the other end and just misses the top corner. This game has exploded into life!

SUBSTITUTION: Fabregas replaces Barkley in a like-for-like swap. The former Everton man has had a poor game, but that may be because he is still short on fitness.

What a night it's been for Wilson, who is a man in rich form right now...

5 - Callum Wilson has been directly involved in five goals in his last six appearances in the Premier League (four goals and one assist). Cherry.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 31, 2018

CHANCE! A BIG Chelsea chance has just gone begging. First, Zappacosta latches onto a corner and shoots into a crowded penalty area. The ball pings around the area before falling kindly for Rudiger right in front of goal, who hits it first time, his strike deflecting behind for another corner.

Eddie Howe has gotten his tactics spot on this evening. His players have defended doggedly, kept Hazard closed down and stung Chelsea with a lethal counter after threatening to do so on several occasions throughout the first half. Make no mistake, they deserve their lead.

Begovic saves from Hazard after a through-pass from Fabregas rips the Cherries defence in half, but it wouldn't have counted anyway, as the Belgian was caught in the offside trap.

Incredible! Bournemouth double their lead after Wilson and Stanislas link up superbly in the final third. The former released his teammate along the left channel, allowing Stanislas to cut inside the area and dink the ball over the onrushing Courtois, who gets a touch but cannot keep the ball out.

It's three for Bournemouth, who are running riot at Stamford Bridge now! Chelsea fail to deal with a corner, allowing Stanislas to take a shot, but his effort ends up at the feet of Nathan Ake in front of goal, who is granted a simple tap-in inside the six-yard box. He was never going to miss from there!

© SilverHub

SHOT! Chelsea have the chance to reduce the deficit from another deadball situation. Alonso steps up, but this time his strike canons into the wall. Moments later, Bournemouth make a change, throwing on King from Stanislas.

PENALTY CLAIM! Ake intercepts Pedro's header inside the six-yard box and the Spaniard screams for a penalty, claiming the Bournemouth man handled the ball. To be fair, it would have been a soft penalty had the referee given it.

Tonight is something of a historic performance from Bournemouth. Check this stat out...

3 - Bournemouth have scored three goals in a Premier League away game against a 'top six' opponent for the very first time. Onslaught. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 31, 2018

Fabregas plays a long ball over the top and Pedro uses his pace to latch onto it, taking a touch before shooting wide. Chelsea, who have barely tested Begovic all evening, don't look like overturning a three-goal deficit here, but there's still 15 minutes to go!

BOOKING! The first yellow card of the match goes to Fabregas for a foul on King. Although it was a clumsy challenge worthy of a caution, the former Arsenal man still took exception to the referee's decision there.

Bournemouth are busy making history tonight, and elsewhere, so are Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. To be specific, the Premier League match between those two at Wembley has set a new attendance record...

🏟️ This evening's official attendance at @wembleystadium is 81,978 - a new @premierleague record! 🙌#COYS pic.twitter.com/ZaqI25Iiyx

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 31, 2018

Chelsea fans are pouring out of Stamford Bridge in their thousands now. It's a mass exodus! They're clearly unhappy with their team's performance tonight, and so they should be, but let's take nothing away from Bournemouth, who have been excellent.

SUBSTITUTION: Ibe appears to have taken a knock and Eddie Howe is taking no chances, throwing on Pugh to replace him.

Chelsea brought on Hudson-Odoi for Zappacosta moments ago. At 17 years old, he's the second-youngest player to feature for the Blues at this level, after Jody Morris. At least one of their players will remember this match for a positive reason.

Fabregas hoists a pass into the Bournemouth penalty area, but there are no Blue shirts in there, allowing the Cherries defence to clear its lines. The Chelsea heads have dropped now, but the away end over in the stands in absolutely bouncing.

Kante unleashes Hudson-Odoi in the final third and the youngster goes for goal, his effort is saved well by Begovic, who gets down quickly to smother the shot.

There will be a minimum of four minutes of stoppage time at Stamford Bridge. That's four minutes of additional torture for the two home fans who have stayed behind.

SUBSTITUTION: Mousset replaces Bournemouth's opening goal scorer Wilson for the final two minutes of stoppage time.

It's a performance that will live long in the memory of Bournemouth fans. They came to Stamford Bridge to play the Premier League champions, sitting just two points above the dropzone. A Cherries win was a 10/1 shot ahead of kickoff, but they ran riot here and hit their opponents for three!

Callum Wilson, Junior Stanislas and Nathan Ake did the damage for Eddie Howe's side on an evening to forget for Chelsea. The result marks the first time Bournemouth have scored three goals away to 'top six' opposition, and they won't be forgetting it in a hurry.

Conceding three has seen the Blues drop below Liverpool to third place in the table, while Bournemouth move up three places to 10th as things stand, with matches still going on, of course.

That's all we have time for at Stamford Bridge but be sure to stick with Sports Mole for results and fallout from tonight's biggest games, as well as the latest transfer news on a busy deadline day. Many thanks for reading.