This weekend’s game is the 15th of the Premier League season. Going into it, Enzo Maresca’s side are fourth with 24 points, nine points behind leaders Arsenal. Only five points separate the Blues and Bournemouth in 14th place.

Saturday’s opponents have 19 points from 14 games, 74 per cent of their points coming at the Vitality Stadium.

Head-to-head

Chelsea are unbeaten in seven Premier League games against Bournemouth (four wins, three draws), having lost three of the previous four.

Our most recent Premier League loss to the Cherries was in in January 2019, almost seven years ago, when we were defeated 4-0.

The team scoring first has gone on to win 13 of the 15 Premier League matches between Bournemouth and Chelsea when a goal has been scored. The other two have been draws - in February 2020 and January this year.

Head-to-Head (all competitions)

Played 23
Won 15
Drawn 3
Lost 5

Last five meetings at the Vitality Stadium

30 January 2019 - Premier League L 4-0
29 February 2020 - Premier League D 2-2 Alonso 2
6 May 2023 - Premier League W 3-1 Gallagher, Badiashile, Joao Felix
17 September 2023 - Premier League D 0-0
14 September 2024 - Premier League W 1-0 Nkunku

Biggest win for each team:

Bournemouth 1-4 Chelsea | 2015/16 | Premier League
Bournemouth 4-0 Chelsea | 2018/19 | Premier League

Chelsea stats

Chelsea’s defeat at Leeds United was our first away in the Premier League since losing 2-1 at Manchester United in September.

Jaka Bijol’s header for Leeds in the sixth minute on Wednesday ended Chelsea’s streak of scoring the opening goal in eight consecutive Premier League games. Leeds scored their opener at 5 minutes 24 seconds, the earliest we have conceded this season and the earliest from a corner since January 2011, against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Blues have scored at least one goal in each of our past 20 games in all competitions, since the opening weekend’s goalless draw against Crystal Palace. We are also on the longest current scoring run of any side in the Premier League, netting in all 13 of our games in the competition since the Palace stalemate.

Chelsea have gained four points (all away from home) from losing positions this season, but have dropped 10 points from winning positions.

We have lost both of our Premier League games kicking off at 3pm on a Saturday this season, going down at home to both Brighton & Hove Albion and Sunderland. The Blues have not lost three in a row in this kick-off slot since November 2000 (Southampton away, Charlton away and Everton away).

Pedro Neto has scored five goals in 14 Premier League games this season, matching his previous best of five from 31 matches with Wolves in 2020/21. He is currently the Blues' leading scorer in the league.

Only Arsenal (nine) have scored more goals from headers in the Premier League this season than Chelsea’s eight, which have been netted by Trevoh Chalobah (two), Joao Pedro (two), Josh Acheampong, Enzo Fernandez, Malo Gusto and Neto.

Brighton (17) are the only side to score more second-half goals in the Premier League than Maresca’s side this term (16).

Chelsea (240) and Bournemouth (221) have been given the most yellow and red cards in the Premier League since the start of 2023/24.

Premier League scorers
Neto 5, Fernandez 4 (1 pen), Joao Pedro 4, Caicedo 3, Chalobah 3, Acheampong 1, Estevao 1, Garnacho 1, Gusto 1, James 1, Palmer 1

Premier League assists
James 3, Joao Pedro 3, Cucurella 2, Garnacho 2, Gittens 2, Neto 2, Estevao 1, Fernandez 1, Guiu 1, Gusto 1

Milestones

If selected, Neto will make his 50th Premier League appearance for the Blues.

Bournemouth stats

Last season

Premier League: Ninth
FA Cup: Lost 2-1 at home to Manchester City in the quarter-finals
Carabao Cup: Lost 3-0 away at West Ham United in the second round
Top scorer (all competitions): Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo 13
Top Premier League scorer: Justin Kluivert 12

This season’s Premier League stats

Most minutes played: Petrovic 1,260, Truffert 1,233, Adams 1,197
Most goals: Semenyo 6, Kroupi 4, Tavernier 3
Most assists: Semenyo 3, Senesi 3
Most duels won: Semenyo 84, Truffert 78, Senesi 61
Clean sheets: Petrovic 4
Most fouls conceded: Semenyo 27, Adams 21, Truffert 16
Most yellow cards: Adams 5, Brooks 5, Senesi 5, Jimenez 4
Red cards: Cook 1

The Cherries have lost four of their past five Premier League matches (one draw), more than in their previous 17 combined.

Bournemouth’s defeat to Everton on Tuesday ended their longest unbeaten run at the Vitality Stadium in the top flight (seven games). At home this season they have won 14 points from seven games, with wins against Wolves, Brighton, Fulham and Nottingham Forest, plus draws with Newcastle United and West Ham United.

Only Arsenal have conceded fewer home goals than Bournemouth (five) in the Premier League this season.

Bournemouth have suffered one defeat in their last 15 Premier League matches against London clubs, recording five wins and nine draws, and they are currently unbeaten in their eight most recent meetings with sides from the capital.

This is Bournemouth’s eighth Saturday 3pm Premier League game this season. They won their first three, but have not won in the last four (three draws, one loss), including a 3-2 defeat at Sunderland last week. Only Burnley and Sunderland have played more matches in this time slot.

Marcus Tavernier has scored in two of his last three Premier League appearances at the Vitality Stadium. He had only netted two goals in his previous 36 home games before this current run.

Bournemouth have lost two of their last 13 Premier League matches in December (seven wins, four draws), losing on Tuesday and to Spurs on New Year’s Eve in 2023. They lost 10 of their previous 13 games in December before this run.

At Sunderland last weekend, Tyler Adams’ strike from 43.3 metres out was the longest-range Premier League goal since Moises Caicedo netted from 50.5 metres against Bournemouth in May 2024.

Andoni Iraola managerial record against Chelsea

Won: 0
Drawn: 2
Lost: 2

Last five results

Manchester City (a) L 3-1
Aston Villa (a) L 4-0
West Ham United (h) D 2-2
Sunderland (a) L 3-2
Everton (h) L 1-0

Against Everton in midweek, Bournemouth named their youngest-ever Premier League starting XI (23 years, 254 days), with their line-up not featuring a single player over the age of 26.

Last Premier League line-up

Bournemouth 0-1 Everton
Tuesday 2 DecemberTeam (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Jimenez, Milosavljevic, Diakite, Truffert; Adams, Scott (Unal 80); Adli 9Tavernier 60), Kluivert (Soler 70), Semenyo (c); Kroupi (Evanilson 61)
Booked: Kluivert 45, Adams 53, Unal 88

Discipline

Bournemouth’s Lewis Cook and Tyler Adams, as well as Moises Caicedo - this is the second game of his three-match ban - are suspended.

In the Premier League, five yellow cards received before 19 league fixtures have been completed will result in a one-match suspension in the competition.

Enzo Maresca is one yellow card away from a touchline ban.

Chelsea Premier League yellow cards: Cucurella 3, Estevao 3, Badiashile 2, Caicedo 2, Chalobah 2, Fernandez 2, George 2, Hato 2, James 2, Sanchez 2, Santos 2, Joao Pedro 1, Neto 1, Tosin 1, Maresca 2

Match officials

Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistants: Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring
Fourth official: Oliver Langford
VAR: Craig Pawson
Assistant VAR: Alex Chilowicz

Michael Oliver is officiating his second Chelsea match this season, having previously refereed our 5-1 away win at West Ham in August.