The upcoming meeting in London will be between rivals from the top half of the standings. Such a formulation is more than pleasant to the visiting team, which is not spoilt with outstanding results of performances in the Premier League. In recent decades, the Cherries are spending their eighth season in the elite of English football. The previous seven only once ended with a finish in the top half of the standings - in ninth position. Now Bournemouth is in seventh place - above Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester United. Such a surge was brought about by the coaching of Andoni Iraola, who took charge of the team before the start of last season, and spot reinforcements in the past off-season. Chelsea fans were also singing odes to their players and coach until a month ago. After a couple of seasons in the middle of the standings, the Blues were in second place and were real title contenders. However, in mid-December, Enzo Mareschi's men suffered a game crisis. Saturday's victory of the London club over Morcam in the FA Cup can not indicate its completion in full. In this regard, the match against Bournemouth could be one of the key matches for Chelsea in the season. "The Blues" need to break the four-match series without victories in the championship. Otherwise, Newcastle or Manchester City will "squeeze" the London team out of the Champions League zone, which will exacerbate the psychological crisis of its players. Bookmakers have identified the home team as favorites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 1.63 on their victory.

In the second half of November, Bournemouth lost to Brentford and Brighton, the team did not make any special impression. However, it was with the described misfires that the Cherries started an eight-match series without defeats, which is valid now. During this period, Bournemouth scored 18 out of a possible 24 points, which allowed them to climb to the seventh position. Another thing is that this series should not be overestimated either. In a month and a half, the Cherries have faced only Tottenham and Manchester United from the clubs with a name, who are now in a known state. We bet that Bournemouth will be defeated in the capital of England.