Chelsea will be out to snap a miserable three-game losing run in the Premier League when they resume top-flight duties against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening.
The Blues went into the World Cup break languishing in eighth in the table, while the Cherries have surged to 14th spot but are still in danger of being dragged into the demotion dogfight.
Match preview
© Reuters
From going unbeaten in their first nine games under Graham Potter to suffering four defeats from their last five competitive fixtures before the World Cup break, the new manager bounce has well and truly worn off for a goal-shy Chelsea outfit.
Progression to the knockout stages of the Champions League as group winners has been a small silver lining amid the backdrop of dismal domestic fortunes, with the Blues going out of the EFL Cup in the third round to Manchester City and suffering successive Premier League losses against Brighton & Hove Albion, Arsenal and Newcastle United.
The addition of a winter friendly with Aston Villa did not spark a turnaround in fortunes for Chelsea either, as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Unai Emery's men to leave them without so much as a draw from their last four competitive and non-competitive matches, during which time they have failed to score a single goal.
Eight points separate Chelsea from a place in the top four of the Premier League table, but they are only two clear of a potential place in the bottom half, and question marks are already hanging over the head of Potter regarding his long-term future at Stamford Bridge.
Not since the days of Ruud Gullit and Gianluca Vialli in 1998 have Chelsea suffered four consecutive Premier League defeats, although runaway leaders Arsenal are the only side to both beat and keep a clean sheet against the Blues at Stamford Bridge in the current Premier League season.
© Reuters
A similar story to that of Potter has befallen Gary O'Neil, who also embarked on an impressive unbeaten run after taking the reins at the Vitality Stadium before the defeats arrived in abundance, but the 39-year-old did enough to convince the Cherries board that he was deserving of a permanent contract.
Bill Foley's recent £120m takeover has also led to a new wave of optimism surrounding future transfer business, and two successive wins over Everton in the EFL Cup and Premier League by a 7-1 aggregate scoreline saw Bournemouth enter the World Cup break on the highest of highs.
Bournemouth were back in competitive action on Tuesday, making the daunting trip to Newcastle United to reunite with Eddie Howe in the fourth round of the EFL Cup, but only a 67th-minute Adam Smith own goal could separate the two sides in a 1-0 success for the Magpies.
Attention now turns back to the Premier League for the Cherries, who have suffered a disheartening three losses on the bounce away from home in the top flight and are winless in five on rival turf, where their tally of 24 goals conceded represents the worst of its kind in the division.
However, recent history favours those in red and black, as Bournemouth are unbeaten in three Premier League games with Chelsea - winning two and drawing one between 2019 and 2020 - and the South Coast contingent braving the chilly journey to the capital have every reason to believe that such a streak may continue.
Team News
© Reuters
As if Chelsea were not already starved of attacking guile, the Blues lost Armando Broja to a season-ending ACL injury during their friendly with Aston Villa, and he will be one of at least seven guaranteed absentees for the Blues on Tuesday.
Morocco's Hakim Ziyech and Croatia's Mateo Kovacic will be given more time to recover after the World Cup, while Wesley Fofana, N'Golo Kante, Ben Chilwell and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are also in the treatment room.
Mason Mount and Kepa Arrizabalaga could recover from calf and foot problems in time to make the squad, but only the former is said to have a good chance of shaking off his concern, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be out to score for the second time against Bournemouth on Boxing Day after doing so for Arsenal in 2019.
Bournemouth boss O'Neil has also been working with a ravaged squad for different reasons, as between eight and 10 players fell victim to a virus before the meeting with Newcastle, including Ben Pearson, Joe Rothwell and Ryan Fredericks.
O'Neil was still able to call upon a good chunk of his settled first XI at St James' Park, although Neto and David Brooks are out until the New Year, while Jefferson Lerma, Lloyd Kelly and Marcus Tavernier will all need last-minute fitness tests.
The Cherries coach expects Lerma to bounce back from a sore knee in time for Tuesday's match, where Jaidon Anthony should deputise on the left if Tavernier - who has both scored and assisted in his last two Premier League games - is not passed fit.
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Mendy; Chalobah, Silva, Koulibaly; James, Jorginho, Gallagher, Cucurella; Mount, Aubameyang, Sterling
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Travers; Smith, Mepham, Senesi, Zemura; Christie, Cook, Lerma, Anthony; Billing, Solanke
We say: Chelsea 1-0 Bournemouth
A Chelsea team decimated by injuries versus a Bournemouth side feeling the effects of a winter bug does not have the makings of a classic, especially with Potter's side missing that golden touch in front of goal.
Barring that 1-0 loss to Arsenal, the Blues have held their own at Stamford Bridge and have not had a lengthy trip to Newcastle to take into account either, so we still have faith in a refreshed Chelsea side to end their streak of defeats by a narrow margin.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
