Bournemouth v Chelsea
Venue: Vitality Stadium
Kick off: 5.30PM
League leaders Chelsea will on Saturday (today) aim to get one step closer to lifting the title come May when they take the trip down south to play AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Eddie Howe’s side come into this match on the back of an impressive 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Anfield, as Joshua King struck a late goal to ensure a share of the spoils with the Reds.
The Cherries have picked up form since the start of March, with a five-game unbeaten run pulling them clear off the relegation battle.
The runaway leaders, meanwhile, continue to grow from strength to strength in the campaign, with a comfortable 2-1 win over Manchester City on Wednesday to maintain a seven-point lead at the top of the table, thanks to a brace by Eden Hazard.
The reverse fixture ended in an emphatic 3-0 win for Chelsea, as Pedro and Eden Hazard struck two superb goals before the two combined in Steve Cook’s own goal in the dying moments of the match.
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has a few personnel availability concerns to deal with, with as many as six players missing due to suspension and fitness issues, thus hampering his preparations ahead of the visit of Chelsea.
Unlike his counterpart in the Bournemouth dugout, Antonio Conte has no injury concerns to deal with whatsoever, taking a fully fit squad to the Vitality Stadium to face the Cherries.
Nigerian international Victor Moses is the last man off the treatment table, and is expected to slot right back in the right wing back position that he has made his own this season after missing the last two league games due to a toe injury.
Conte struggled to replace Moses in the last two matches, with neither Cesar Azpilicueta nor Pedro being nearly as assured in the position as the 26-year-old.
Meanwhile, Thibaut Courtois, David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta are playing through injury, with the latter two requiring ongoing treatment for hip and knee injuries respectively, while the Spaniard has a broken bone in his hand.
The visit to Bournemouth though, provides the Chelsea boss to play with his preferred starting XI for the first time in nearly a month, allowing him to prepare in the best possible manner in the climactic end of the season.
Bournemouth possible XI: Boruc, Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels, Fraser, Arter, Wilshere, Pugh, King, Afobe.
Chelsea possible XI: Courtois, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill, Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso, Pedro, Costa, Hazard.