Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca hopes he can rely on the fitness of Reece James and Romeo Lavia following the dismissal of both players.
James started his first game since early November in Chelsea's 5-0 victory over Morecambe in the FA Cup third round on Saturday alongside Lavia, but both were limited to just 45 minutes before their scheduled withdrawal.
The match was only James' fifth appearance in all competitions this season, while Lavia had not played since coming on at half-time in Chelsea's 4-3 win over Tottenham in December.
“The idea is to slowly build up the right fitness,” says Maresca.
“We have to be a little more careful, especially for Reece. The good thing is that they both played 45 minutes and finished well without any problems. We can help them and get them in the right condition.”
Both players have struggled to stay fit over the past two seasons, with James making just 11 appearances in all competitions in the 2023/24 season, down from his five this term.
Lavia has made just 11 appearances this season, with his only appearance last season coming as a substitute in Chelsea's 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on December 27.
Host Bournemouth tomorrow in the #PL. pic.twitter.com/dQGG143N6F
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 13, 2025
Despite limited playing time for both players, Maresca says they can be there when Bournemouth visit Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Tuesday.
“They are both OK and we are happy about that,” he said. “It's good that players can get minutes and that they can be ready for every match when we need them.
“We are already thinking about Tuesday's match and are going to prepare.”
Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola, meanwhile, is dealing with his own injury problems, with strikers Evanilson and Enes Unal both out for long periods of time.
Iraola hopes that the Cherries will be active during the transfer window to close the gap, but also appreciates that it will not be easy to find a striker ready for the Premier League.
“I know they are looking at options on the market, players who can probably go out on loan and help us in this period when we will be without our strikers, but I don't know how much it will cost,” he said.
“It's not easy, the winter market. The attackers also have a special position. You never want to lose a number nine at the winter market.
“So it is not easy in this market to sign a number nine. But I know the club is analyzing everything. Everything happened very quickly because we were in a great position.
“A week ago I was very happy with both strikers and it was probably, I don't know if it was our best position, but we felt very comfortable.
“But football is like that. Two situations have happened and we will have to adapt.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Chelsea Cole Palmer
Palmer has been involved in 19 Premier League goals (13G 6A) this season, second only to Mohamed Salah (31).
The last Chelsea player to score more than 20 goals and assists in consecutive campaigns was Eden Hazard, who did so in his first three seasons at the club (2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15).
Palmer has also created more chances than any other player in the Premier League this season (57), while he is also the only player to have created more than 10 chances for two different teammates (15 for Noni Madueke, 11 for Nicolas Jackson).
Bournemouth – Antoine Semenyo
Semenyo has registered more shots and chances created after carrying the ball than any other player in the Premier League this season (43 – 27 shots, 16 chances created).
He scored in Bournemouth's 5-1 win over West Brom in the FA Cup third round on Saturday and now has six goals in all competitions this season.
MATCH PREDICTION: CHELSEA WIN
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last six matches against Bournemouth (W4 D2) this Premier League match.
Enzo Maresca's side have won 10 of 15 home games in all competitions this season (D3 L2), including four of the last five.
While the home side were beaten 2-1 by Fulham in their final league match at Stamford Bridge, that is their only home league defeat since the opening day of the season, against Manchester City.
Bournemouth were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea at the Vitality Stadium in September, while a 2-0 win at home to Arsenal is their only win against sides currently in the top four this season.
They have also only scored 30 goals this season, from an xG (expected goals) total of 39.9, which is the worst underperformance of any Premier League team. Given their new glaring problems, Chelsea are big favourites.
OPTA CHANCE OF WINNING
Chelsea – 56%
Draw – 21.4%
Bournemouth – 22.6%
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