Bournemouth vs. Chelsea: Team News, Live Stream, TV Info, Ticket News
Chelsea visit the Vitality Stadium this weekend, and boss Guus Hiddink has spoken of his admiration for what Eddie Howe and Bournemouth have achieved in their debut Premier League campaign.
Against all odds, the Cherries have long since secured their place in the top flight for next season, winning over many neutrals in the process. Whereas newly promoted sides are often forced to forget their principles and scrap it out for survival, Howe's men have done it by sticking to what they know.
We've seen them bring their brand of passing football to the Premier League, surprising many big sides in the process. Chelsea themselves were on the receiving end when Bournemouth came away from Stamford Bridge with a 1-0 win in December.
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Despite Chelsea struggling at the time, the result at the home of the reigning champions was a major upset.
"It’s not easy to come from the Championship, but to keep them in the Premier League is even more difficult," Hiddink said on Friday.
"There’s not much to say about Bournemouth this season, which is a good sign, because it means they were always out of the danger zone, they’ve been doing well. I’ve spoken previously about clubs giving opportunities to English managers and Eddie is a great example of that.
"It’s a fairytale story for them, and still being there shows the good management and good transfer policy."
Chelsea are looking to get back to winning ways on the south coast after back-to-back defeats in the league. A fortnight ago they were beaten 1-0 by Swansea City before Manchester City thumped them 3-0 in west London last Saturday.
Those defeats have led to suggestions that Chelsea's players are not as committed as they should be now that their season is over as a contest. The Blues have no silverware to play for and are also out of the running for European qualification.
Hiddink says that's not the case and that his players continue to work hard.
"Every game I see on the training pitch, whether it’s seven-a-side, eight-a-side or 10-a-side. they are fully committed to winning, which means they are not fading away," he explained.
"All the games we have, whatever is at stake, Chelsea will play to try to win."
Now to prove it against Bournemouth.
Match Details
Date: Saturday, April 23
Time: 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET
Venue: The Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
TV Info: Match of the Day, BBC 1, 10.30pm (highlights, UK only)/NBC Sports (U.S. only)
Live Stream: No UK live stream/NBCSN (U.S. only)
Last 5 Games
| Mar. 12 | Everton 2-0 Chelsea |
| Mar. 19 | Chelsea 2-2 West Ham United |
| Apr. 2 | Aston Villa 0-4 Chelsea |
| Apr. 9 | Swansea City 1-0 Chelsea |
| Apr. 16 | Chelsea 0-3 Manchester City |
| Mar. 12 | Bournemouth 3-2 Swansea City |
| Mar. 20 | Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Bournemouth |
| Apr. 2 | Bournemouth 0-4 Manchester City |
| Apr. 9 | Aston Villa 1-2 Bournemouth |
| Apr. 17 | Bournemouth 1-2 Liverpool |
Predicted Lineups
Chelsea will be without Thibaut Courtois on the south coast as he serves the first game of his two-match suspension after his red card against Manchester City last week.
John Terry remains injured, as does Loic Remy. Eden Hazard should play some part in the game as he nears full fitness after a hip injury that has seen him sidelined for over a month.
As for Bournemouth, they will be missing Harry Arter, who has an ankle injury. Benik Afobe is a doubt as he attempts to recover from a hamstring strain.
Bournemouth (4-4-2): Boruc; Francis, Elphic, Cook, Daniels; Ritchie, Surman, Gosling, Gradel; King, Grabban
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Begovic; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ivanovic, Rahman; Mikel, Fabregas; Willian, Loftus-Cheek, Pedro; Costa
Key Players
Dan Gosling
Perhaps it's because Gosling has Premier League experience with Everton and Newcastle United that he isn't spoken about nearly as much as he should be. Instead it's some of his team-mates who have been applauded for their role in Bournemouth's excellent first season in the Premier League.
Gosling is a vital figure in midfield, though. Alongside Arter this term, he has been a big part of what the club has achieved. He isn't explosive but has those box-to-box qualities that make him an asset in attack and defence.
With Arter missing on Saturday, Gosling is going to be a big figure in those central areas, and he'll need to assert some authority as Chelsea will look to flood the middle and dominate.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Now he's starting more games for Chelsea, Loftus-Cheek is beginning to break free of the youth tag and mature into a fully fledged first-team star. We're still not quite sure of his best position—whether he should play in holding midfield or as a No. 10—but the fact he is playing matches is encouraging.
Playing behind Diego Costa, he needs to give Chelsea a creative edge on Saturday. The nature of the Blues playing three attacking midfielders means that burden is shared, but Loftus-Cheek can't afford to be as one-dimensional as he has been in the recent defeats to Swansea City and Manchester City.
The 20-year-old needs to cause problems for the back four to help out Diego Costa, who will be leading the line. If he does that, Chelsea will get something out of this game.
Ticket Information
For ticket information on all Premier League games, visit the official site or go to the ticket page on Bournemouth's official website.
Prediction
Bournemouth 2-2 Chelsea
Odds
Home Win: +280
Away Win: -110
Draw: +250
First Goalscorer: Diego Costa (4/1)
Odds via Odds Shark and Oddschecker
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
