Chelsea predicted line-up vs. Bournemouth: major change made as £89m star misses out

Chelsea will be looking to cap off a tumultuous season with a win over Bournemouth that would rubber stamp their qualification for Europe next term. The Blues currently sit sixth in the Premier League table, three points clear of Newcastle United and Manchester United, but with a vastly superior goal difference over the Red Devils.

In other words, barring a huge defeat (and a massive victory for Erik ten Hag’s men), Chelsea should be safe, but will nevertheless be hoping to finish their campaign strongly with a fifth consecutive top flight win.

Standing in their path are a Bournemouth side who have lost two on the bounce, and who currently lie 11th in the table. The highest Andoni Iraola’s men can now finish is 10th, but would need to better Brighton and Hove Albion’s result for that to become a reality.

How will both sides line up at Stamford Bridge, though? We’ve taken a closer look at their respective team news and predicted XIs below...

Chelsea Team News

Chelsea have been blighted by injury all season, and continue to contend with a number of first team absences heading into the final game of the campaign. Defender Wesley Fofana is still undergoing a process of rehabilitation following a serious knee injury, while summer signing Romeo Lavia will see out a miserable first year in West London in the treatment room.

Elsewhere, Enzo Fernandez is sidelined due to a groin complaint, while Mykhailo Mudryk is not expected to feature after suffering from a dizzy spell during the midweek win over Brighton. Reece James was sent off in that match, and will therefore be suspended for the clash against Bournemouth. Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez has been injured for some time, and is ‘undergoing a reconditioning programme’.

Chelsea’s only other concern is Carney Chukwuemeka. Speaking ahead of the Brighton match, Mauricio Pochettino said: “I think Chilly [Ben Chilwell, who did in fact feature on the bench against Albion] is really close but not 100 per cent ready to be part of the squad. Carney Chukwuemeka also. We need to assess whether both can be part of the squad tomorrow. If not tomorrow, maybe for the weekend.” The promising midfielder could, therefore, make some kind of comeback against the Cherries.

Chelsea Predicted XI

Djordje Petrovic; Malo Gusto, Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Cucurella; Moises Caicedo, Conor Gallagher; Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer, Raheem Sterling; Nicolas Jackson.

Bournemouth Team News

For their part, Bournemouth also have a smattering of injury issues to deal with. Defensively, Ryan Fredericks and Chris Mepham are both expected to miss out, while in midfield, Romain Faivre will face a late assessment before a decision is made on his inclusion. Luis Sinisterra is also a doubt. Speaking recently, his manager said: “It's a strain, so it's going to be really tight [for this season]. I don't know if he will recover to play the last game, but it's going to be difficult because the normal time is three or four weeks.”

In better news, Milos Kerkez will be available once again having served a three-game suspension.

Mark Travers; Adam Smith, Illia Zabarnyi, Marcos Senesi, Lloyd Kelly; Ryan Christie, Lewis Cook; Antoine Semenyo, Justin Kluivert, Marcus Tavernier; Dominic Solanke.