CHELSEA had big hopes of banishing last season's nightmare campaign after the high-profile appointment of Mauricio Pochettino, but they have yet to start firing on all cylinders.
And they face a tricky test on Sunday when they visit a Bournemouth side searching for their first league win of the season.
The Blues were absolutely woeful last season, especially given the obscene amount of money they spent. They carried that on this summer and have now spent north of £600 million in the last two transfer windows.
And for that, they lost their last game at home to Nottingham Forest.
In fairness to Pochettino, he appears to have inherited a bloated shambles of a squad and it will take him time to get it right but defeats to Forest, where they were awful and previously being bullied by West Ham in a 3-1 defeat do not bode well.
The Cherries are also under new management after Spanish coach Andoni Iraola took over in the summer.
They have lost at Liverpool and at home to high-flying Spurs, but a home draw with West Ham and an away draw at Brentford would suggest they are absolutely no mugs.
How the bookies view it
Chelsea are odds-on here, but at 3/4 they could tempt punters to back them at Coral.
Bournemouth are underdogs at 15/4 with bet365. The draw is 3/1 with William Hill.
Recent head to heads
Chelsea did the double last season over Bournemouth with a 3-1 win at the Vitality and a 2-0 victory at home.
Bournemouth did hammer Chelsea 4-0 at home four years ago.
Players to watch
Dominic Solanke came through the ranks at Chelsea and has scored two goals for Bournemouth this season including their last game at Brentford. He is 16/5 to score anytime with William Hill.
Raheem Sterling has returned to his top form of the past this season and has been Chelsea's brightest player by far so far. He netted a double in Chelsea's only league win this season against Luton Town and he is 15/8 to score anytime on Sunday with Paddy Power.
Anything else catch the eye?
On paper, Chelsea should be far too strong for Bournemouth, but you just can't trust them at odds-on. They still have a lengthy list of injuries and there's precious little evidence so far they are moving in the right direction.
There are also doubts about a Chelsea defence that have only kept one clean sheet this season against Luton.
The call is to back Bournemouth to score before the 62nd minute with bet365 at 5/6 and also to back them on the double chance market at 6/5 with UniBet for a draw or a win.
This English Premier League match between Bournemouth and Chelsea will be played on Sep 17, 2023 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Bournemouth vs Chelsea prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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