"Surely cannot lose seven in a row, or can they?" - Chris Sutton makes prediction for Bournemouth vs Chelsea
Pundit Chris Sutton predicted that Chelsea and Bournemouth will play out a 1-1 draw in their Premier League clash at the Vitality Stadium on May 6.
The Blues enter the contest on the back of six consecutive defeats. They have lost all of their games under caretaker manager Frank Lampard. They are currently 12th in the league table with 39 points from 33 games.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, have won four out of their last five and are 13th with 39 points from 34 matches.
As the Blues stare at seven defeats in a row, Sutton wrote for BBC:
"Tuesday's defeat at Arsenal made it 'six of the worst' for Chelsea boss Frank Lampard, who has lost all of his games since being appointed caretaker manager."
He added:
"Things won't get any easier for them against Bournemouth, who are a well-organised team containing several individuals who have really enhanced their reputation over the past few months."
Further elaborating on the game, Sutton wrote:
"So, I don't think Frank will get his first win, but I can see him picking up a point. That prediction is based more on the level and experience of the players Chelsea have got, rather than their recent performances. They surely cannot lose seven in a row... or can they?"
The reverse fixture ended in a 2-0 win for the west London side in December.
Frank Lampard is confident that fans will stick with Chelsea regardless of the results
Chelsea's recent run of form has been quite dismal. The expectations from the team were much higher at the start of the season after they finished third last campaign. However, they have underperformed throughout the entirety of the 2022-23 season.
They are currently on a six-game losing run. Frank Lampard, however, claimed that the club have a huge fanbase on a global scale and they will stick with the team regardless of the results. Lampard said (via the Blues' website):
"The fans will stick with the team. I don’t have to tell them much more than that. You could see that with the Chelsea fans at the end of the Arsenal game. From when I first joined, the club has gone from a really big football club to a monster of a football club worldwide, so the fanbase goes much wider than that."
Whether the Blues can manage a win against Bournemouth and get back on course for a strong finish to their campaign remains to be seen. They are certainly out of running for any European places but will look to salvage some pride in their remaining games.