Chelsea – Bournemouth

Bournemouth will lose another Premier League match.

The mood of Chelsea fans during Boxing Day, to put it mildly, is not exactly cheerful. The London club is going through a tough spell, characterized by slip-ups in almost every Premier League match. Moreover, the Blues' memories of last year's Boxing Day, when Chelsea picked up just two points in four fixtures against teams in the bottom half of the table, are not very reassuring. In the previous match, the London club lost to Aston Villa, further worsening its position in the title race. That said, the football Chelsea are playing cannot be described as awful. In that same match against the Villans, Enzo Mareski's squad dominated for most of the game and only conceded after precise and timely tactical decisions by Unai Emery. At a certain point this season, Bournemouth performed in such a way that it began to be regarded as a serious force in the Premier League, and by the tenth round the Cherries' clash with Manchester City was treated by the entire English football public as the centerpiece of the day's schedule. It was exactly from that meeting that everything changed — Bournemouth returned to its usual mediocre status and has not won since. Bookmakers have made the home side the favourites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.58 for their victory. Chelsea's 3-0 win over Barcelona at the end of November was the apex of the team's good form. The following month brought the Blues far more disappointment than joy. Two wins in eight official matches, one of which over Cardiff City in the English League Cup, do not meet the expectations for Enzo Mareski's team. In the last two matches Chelsea drew with Newcastle and lost to Aston Villa. After the Bournemouth clash, the Blues are set to play their first 2026 fixture against Manchester City. If they fail to beat the Cherries and then slip up quite likely against Guardiola's side, the fanbase could face high tension. As a result, the stakes of the upcoming match rise. Bournemouth's current form is favorable to Chelsea's chances. The Cherries have not won any of their last nine Premier League fixtures, and in their previous match they lost 1-4 to Brentford. Chelsea are expected to win comfortably.