Chelsea vs AFC Bournemouth Predictions

• Chelsea are unbeaten in their last eight meetings with Bournemouth
• Bournemouth have gone nine matches without a win
• The Cherries have won just once on the road all season in the Premier League

Blues should prove too strong for struggling visitors

Chelsea have only won two of their last eight matches across all competitions, but they will fancy their chances of seeing off an out-of-form Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues looked like they were going to end Aston Villa’s winning run in West London on Saturday, as they deservedly led 1-0 at the break, but two second-half goals from Ollie Watkins turned the game on its head.

That defeat all but ended Chelsea’s hopes of mounting a title challenge, but they remain very much in the top-four hunt, while Bournemouth’s nine-match winless run has seen them turn from European hopefuls into a side looking nervously over their shoulders at the other end of the table.

Cherries’ season turning sour

When Bournemouth beat Nottingham Forest at the end of October they went second in the Premier League, but they have registered just four points and no wins from their nine games since to plummet down the table.

Arguably the worst result in that run was Saturday’s 4-1 loss at Brentford and Bournemouth’s overall away record makes for grim reading, with their only league win to date on their travels coming at Tottenham all the way back in August.

The good news for Andoni Iraola’s side is they do tend to score on their travels, with in-form Villa being the only team to shut them out across their nine away matches this season.

Scoring might be as good as it gets for the Cherries though, as they are winless in their last eight meetings with Chelsea and they have lost on two of their last three visits to Stamford Bridge.

Pedro tends to end the year on a high

Joao Pedro put Chelsea in front against Villa on Saturday – his sixth goal of the season across all competitions – and he will be hopeful of adding to that tally in his and his team’s final match of the year.

The Brazilian certainly has a knack for ending calendar years on a high, as he provided two assists in his final league match of 2024 against Villa and two goals and an assist when facing Spurs in his final top-flight contest of 2023 – both of which came whilst with former club Brighton.

Pedro also scored in both of Brighton’s meetings with Bournemouth last season and he can add to the Cherries’ ongoing woes by netting again on Tuesday.