AFC Bournemouth vs. Chelsea, Premier League: Preview, team news, how to watch

One thing is certain, one of these two teams, both on 39 points coming in, will reach the magic 40-point mark in this game. At least one.

Safety!

Will it be us? Probably not.

Let’s get hyped!

Date / Time: Saturday, May 6, 2023, 15.00 BST; 10am EDT; 7:30pm IST
Venue: Dean Court, Bournemouth, England
Referee: John Brooks (on pitch); Peter Bankes (VAR)
Forecast: Rain, rain, rain on our parade

On TV: none (UK); none (USA); Star Sports 3 (India); SuperSport MáXimo 3 (NGA); elsewhere
Streaming: none (UK); Peacock (USA); Hotstar (India); DStv Now (NGA)

Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images

AFC Bournemouth team news: Having won four of their last five and six of their last nine, Bournemouth have pulled themselves up out of the fire and into relative safety in short order.

They began March at the bottom of the table. Two months and nine games, they’ve just about guaranteed their survival — on 39 points just as Chelsea, albeit having played one game more. It’s an impressive turnaround, even more so in today’s Premier League considering that it was done without a managerial change. (Though the Cherries did sack Scott Parker way back in August, after the 9-0 loss to Liverpool.)

Former Chelsea prospect Dominic Solanke has been key to this upturn in form, with 3 goals and 3 assists in his last 7 games. He’s finally showing this season, at age 25, that he can indeed be a useful striker at the Premier League level, too!

The Cherries are dealing with a few new injuries, with Marcus Tavernier, Kieffer Moore, Chris Mepham, and Hamed Traoré recently joining long-term absentees Ryan Fredericks and Junior Stanislas on the sidelines.

Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

Chelsea team news: There’s been no turnaround (yet) at Chelsea, and there doesn’t appear to be one on the horizon either, as we continue to plumb new depths. It’s now six defeats in a row and nine without a win in all competitions. We’re just three shy of matching the club record for most league defeats in a row (7: in November-December of 1952).

On the plus side, we have no new injuries and we did score a goal last time out — against an Arsenal side absolutely coasting through the second half of the game having built a 3-0 lead by the 35th minute.

Previously: Believe it or not, we did actually beat Bournemouth once already this season: the 2-0 win at the Bridge is one out five (5) wins since the World Cup (24 games). Kai Havertz and Mason Mount grabbed first-half goals, leading to brief optimism that we would turn thing around in the second half of the season. Oops!