Morgan Rogers

Chelsea’s defensive issues are quite deep rooted, the Blues have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 21 Premier League matches - stretching all the way back to a shut out against Brentford back in Liam Rosenior’s brief tenure.

Xabi Alonso’s side faced a sobering 3-0 defeat at Brentford just before the international break, which was a result that highlighted the lack of balance and defensive rigidity of the squad. They’ve seen BTTS in their other four Premier League games, conceding 12 goals across these matches: no side has conceded more goals in the Premier League than Chelsea this season.

Bournemouth are one of only three sides in the Premier League yet to register a win domestically, but they have drawn three of their five matches and have found the back of the net in all but one of their games - with that blank coming against Liverpool just before the international break.

This is usually a very entertaining game, each of the last three clashes between the sides at Stamford Bridge has seen BTTS with the meeting last year ending 2-2 with both sides posting healthy xG numbers (2.31-3.14).

On the opposite side, Marcus Tavernier is the danger man for Bournemouth. He already has three goals under his belt from five Premier League starts, averaging 2.74 shots per 90. Tavernier has landed this selection in three of those matches, including difficult matchups against Newcastle, Brentford and Man City.

Bournemouth have had a tough start under their new manager, but the fixture list has not been particularly kind to them. The Cherries have still given a good account of themselves against top sides, and they have been unfortunate to collect only three points. Given how poor Chelsea have been defensively, Bournemouth will view this as a winnable game, and they should be able to find success in the final third.

It didn’t take long for Morgan Rogers to open his goalscoring account for Chelsea, as he scored against Fulham on his debut. The former Aston Villa man has since added another two league goals, finding the back of the net against Arsenal and Hull, which has made him one of Chelsea’s standout performers during the opening weeks of the campaign.

Rogers has recorded at least two shots in all six of his starts for the Blues, landing this selection in four of those appearances. He registered two attempts against Hull, with both hitting the target, and he has managed to hit the target with four of his eleven shots overall.

Wesley Fofana has been a magnet for drawing fouls at the back this season, winning six free-kicks across his last three Premier League starts. The Frenchman is comfortable having the ball at his feet, and he sometimes looks to progress forward from the back, which invites tackles from opposing attackers and midfielders. 

Fofana should find plenty of duels against Evanilson this weekend, and the Brazilian likes to be aggressive when leading Bournemouth’s press. He averaged 0.88 fouls per 90 across all competitions last season, but that figure has risen considerably to 1.81 under Marco Rose this campaign. Evanilson has committed multiple infringements in four of his six starts, as he has been given a much bigger role under the new manager when it comes to leading the press.

Marco Rose’s men are yet to win in the Premier League this season, and they have looked vulnerable defensively at times. Bournemouth have conceded an average of 4.60 corners per match, and that figure could rise even further as they will miss Alex Scott for the next few weeks. 

Chelsea racked up 12 corners against Brentford before the break, despite eventually losing 3-0, and they recorded another ten against Hull in their previous fixture. The Blues are averaging 6.43 corners per game across all competitions this season, which shows how they have consistently been able to carve out chances in the final third. Xabi Alonso likes his wingbacks to get high to utilise width, which always brings crosses into play.