Chelsea are hoping to secure their place in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday when they face Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge.
Antonio Conte's men crashed out in the fourth round last term on their way to the Premier League title, but struggles in the English top flight will see the cup competition become more important.
Conte described his side's hopes of retaining their crown over already, but the Blues remain in contention for some silverware this term and will be confident of getting past a Bournemouth side winless in their last six games.
| Game | Chelsea vs Bournemouth |
| Date | Wednesday, December 20 |
| Time | 19:45 GMT / 14:45 ET |
TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM
Getty Images
The game is not being broadcast live in the United Kingdom, but it is available to watch in the United States on on fuboTV.
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
SQUADS & TEAM NEWS
| Position | Chelsea players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Caballero, Courtois, Eduardo |
| Defenders | Rudiger, Alonso, Zappacosta, Cahill, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Clarke-Salter, Sterling |
| Midfielders | Fabregas, Drinkwater, Kante, Hazard, Pedro, Bakayoko, Moses, Willian, Scott, Ampadu, Kenedy |
| Forwards | Batshuayi, Morata |
Marcos Alonso is suspended for the visit of Bournemouth, while David Luiz is still out through injury and Alvaro Morata is a doubt.
Potential Chelsea starting XI: Caballero; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; Kenedy, Drinkwater, Fabregas, Zappacosta; Willian, Batshuayi, Pedro.
| Position | Bournemouth players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Begovic, Boruc, Ramsdale |
| Defenders | Ake, Francis, S. Cook, Daniels, A. Smith, Simpson |
| Midfielders | Gosling, Surman, Pugh, Arter, L. Cook, Stanislas, Hyndman, Fraser, Ibe, Mahoney |
| Forwards | Defoe, Afobe, Wilson, King, Mousset, Butcher |
Eddie Howe has several injury issues to deal with as Tyrone Mings, Joshua King and Charlie Daniels are all out for the trip to Stamford Bridge.
Potential Bournemouth starting XI: Boruc; Francis, Cook, Ake, Smith; Fraser, Arter, Gosling, Stanislas; Mousset, Afobe.
BETTING & MATCH ODDS
Getty
Chelsea are rated 3/10 favourites to win the game while Bournemouth are 17/2 and a draw is 17/4.
GAME PREVIEW
Getty
Antonio Conte has confirmed he will not field a full-strength starting XI against Eddie Howe's side, but is confident of making it past the struggling Cherries.
“I want to continue to give the chance to players that are not playing with regularity," Conte said.
“I want to continue this way, but at the same time we want to reach the semi-final.”
Chelsea have not been in incredible form lately, having slipped up against West Ham United and Atletico Madrid in recent weeks, but they are on two wins on the bounce after beating Huddersfield and Southampton.
They look much sharper than their visitors, who have drawn three and lost three of their last six games.
And, with the likes of Willian, Pedro and Cesc Fabregas expected to line up in a much-changed side, the Blues will be gunning for a place in the last four of the competition.
