Premier League leaders Chelsea can't make any mistakes when they travel to face Bournemouth at Dean Court on Saturday evening, especially if Tottenham will beat Watford earlier in the day. The Blues beat the Cherries 3-0 in the reverse fixture on Boxing Day, with Eden Hazard and Pedro on the score sheet. However, Bournemouth have secured a historic 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge last season before Chelsea got a revengeful 4-1 victory in the reverse fixture.
Bournemouth have recovered from a four-game losing streak in February and are now on a five-game unbeaten run. That undefeated streak started with a 1-1 draw at Manchester United and ended with a 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Anfield Road on Wednesday. The Cherries can be proud of what they have achieved so far this season, but they still need to grab a few more points in order to guarantee their survival in the Premier League. Tyrone Mings is suspended, while Callum Wilson, Adam Federici and Andrew Surman remain injured.
Chelsea fought hard to bounce back from last weekend's surprise home defeat against Crystal Palace and they eventually pulled off a 2-1 victory over Manchester City on Wednesday. Eden Hazard scored both goals for the Blues, both in the first half, either side of a goal from Sergio Aguero. Tottenham are just seven points behind, and another mishap like last weekend's could see that lead cut to just four points with seven games left in the season. Victor Moses remains the only injury worry for manager Antonio Conte.
Probable line-ups:
Bournemouth: Boruc - Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels - Fraser, Arter, Wilshere, Pugh - King - Afobe
Chelsea: Courtois - Zuma, Luiz, Cahill - Azpilicueta, Matic, Kante, Alonso - Willian, Costa, Hazard
My prediction: 1-1 draw.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Bournemouth win - 6.50
Draw - 3.80
Chelsea win - 1.53
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