"Going to be interesting" - Chris Sutton predicts winner of Chelsea vs Bournemouth
BBC pundit and former Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton has predicted a 2-0 win for Chelsea when they meet AFC Bournemouth this weekend. The two teams will clash in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday (December 27).
The Blues are eighth in the league with 21 points from 14 games, while the Cherries are 14th with 16 points from 15 games. However, the hosts have won just two of their last eight competitive games across competitions, while the visitors have won two of their last three.
Sutton reckons Graham Potter's side would be keen to pick up a win as he wrote in his column for BBC:
"Chelsea are desperate for a win after going six domestic games without a victory, and losing the past four of them, so the pressure is really on Blues boss Graham Potter here."
The Blues have scored just 19 times in 14 games under Potter, which the pundit believes is cause for concern:
"I am a strong believer that Potter just needs time to get things right at Stamford Bridge, but they have had issues with scoring goals since he took charge, and they will need to finish their chances against Bournemouth, as well as create them.
Sutton added that he's interested to see how Bournemouth perform under Gary O'Neill, who was appointed permanently after a successful spell as caretaker boss. He said:
"I do expect Chelsea to win this game, but it is going to be interesting to find out what happens with the Cherries next too. Gary O'Neil's success as their caretaker boss meant he definitely deserved to be appointed on a permanent basis, but to keep the job, he needs to match those results now."
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Bournemouth are unbeaten in three games against Chelsea
While Chelsea will be the favourites to beat AFC Bournemouth on Tuesday, the recent head-to-head favours the Cherries.
Bournemouth have won twice and drawn once in their last three Premier League meetings with the Blues. That includes a resounding 4-0 win in January 2019.
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The last game between the two teams in February 2020 ended in a 2-2 draw. Marcos Alonso gave the visitors the lead at the Vitality Stadium, but the Cherries turned things around after the break, thanks to Jefferson Lerma and Josh King. Alonso then scored an 85th-minute equaliser to give the Chelsea a share of the spoils.