Chelsea vs Bournemouth Odds
| Chelsea Odds | -223 |
| Bournemouth Odds | +500 |
| Draw | +425 |
| Over / Under | 2.5 -400o / +300u |
It almost feels strange to have a game on the final Sunday of the year where both sides have something meaningful to play for, but that's where this contest is at.
Chelsea merely needs a point to ensure European qualification, but whether sixth place is a ticket to the Europa League or Europa Conference League is contingent on the result of the FA Cup final. There's also a chance for the Blues to eclipse their local rivals Tottenham and finish fifth, but that would require Spurs to lose to Sheffield United, which isn't exactly likely.
The Cherries, while not in the hunt for continental soccer, are chasing a couple of other significant milestones. The first is a top-half finish, which they've only achieved once in their history — in 2016-17 under Eddie Howe. The other achievement would be securing the club's first top-flight point total over 50, as a win would put Bournemouth's final tally this season at 51.
Read on for my Chelsea vs Bournemouth pick and prediction and Premier League match preview.
Chelsea
The Blues are on a stellar run of form to finish off what has been a tumultuous campaign. They've won their last four matches, including a 2-1 win at Brighton on Wednesday, and have charged up the table into the European places. After the fitness issues they've faced and several poor results, finishing above Newcastle and Manchester United would be a pretty remarkable outcome for Mauricio Pochettino and co.
Chelsea have slowly been getting players back from injury, but that match with Brighton set them back slightly. Pochettino used a concussion sub to take Mykhailo Mudryk off in the first half, making him unavailable for this one, and Reece James was shown a straight red in the 88th minute, which means he'll start serving a multi-game suspension here as well.
Fortunately, in the short-term, neither of these absences should be too detrimental to the Blues' chances in this contest. Malo Gusto had been starting at right back over James — and performing well — and Christopher Nkunku, back from injury, looked lively and got on the scoresheet after replacing Mudryk in Wednesday's fixture. One more note on team news: Thiago Silva will likely start and captain the team in his last match at the club.
This is still very much the Cole Palmer show, but in recent weeks, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke have started to pull more weight, and Nkunku's return bolsters this attack even further. Another significant development in Chelsea's possession play is inverting Marc Cucurella from left back, which seems to have aided their build-up ability and quality, and also allows Conor Gallagher to push further forward.
Bournemouth
It's not quite been the end to the campaign Andoni Iraola likely would have envisioned for his team, with last weekend's home loss to Bournemouth a particularly tough result to take. There's still an opportunity here, at Stamford Bridge, to finish on a high note, but given their track record against top-half sides this season, it's going to be an uphill battle for the Cherries.
Bournemouth don't have many availability concerns, especially with Milos Kerkez now back from a red-card suspension and Tyler Adams returning from injury last time out. Whatever starting XI Iraola picks, y0u can be sure of two things: Dominic Solanke leading the line and a high-pressing approach.
The Cherries' out-of-possession work has carried them this far, and they haven't strayed from it at all. They'll engage Chelsea high and try to force high turnovers or any sort of transitional moments that Solanke and friends can capitalize on. Turning that philosophy into results against the top sides has been a struggle for Bournemouth this season, and it's unlikely that'll change in this contest.
Chelsea vs Bournemouth
Prediction
When these teams squared off in the reverse fixture at the Vitality Stadium, Chelsea had the lion's share of chances and won the territorial battle. Now at home, with Pochettino developing his side quite a bit since that encounter, the Blues have the upper leg in this one.
This should be a fairly open game, as Chelsea should be able to break Bournemouth's press with regularity, but as they will control possession, there will be opportunities on the break for the visitors, especially with the not-so-mobile Thiago Silva at the back. As a result, I expect both sides to create enough chances to find the back of the net, but Chelsea are the much better team, and I expect them to prevail.
Given the circumstances and likely game dynamics, Both Teams to Score and Chelsea to Win at plus-money feels like good value.
