Bournemouth vs Chelsea: TV channel, live stream, squad news & preview

Chelsea travel to Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium on Wednesday with the intention of taking a tighter grip on their top-four position.

Maurizio Sarri’s men eased to a 3-0 FA Cup win over Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend, but a 2-0 loss away to Arsenal in their last league outing has left their position suddenly vulnerable.

They will meet a Bournemouth side who have had 10 days to prepare for this fixture, with the Cherries hungry for more success after ending a five-match winless streak with a 2-0 victory against West Ham when they last played.

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TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch

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In the United States (US), the game can be watched on NBCSN and UNIVERSO. It can be streamed via NBC Sports Live and UNIVERSO NOW.

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will not be shown live.

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Squads & Team News

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Bournemouth will be forced to contend without key striker Callum Wilson after he failed to make the matchday squad, though new signings Dominic Solanke and Chris Mepham are on the bench.

Former Chelsea player Nathan Ake does however line up in the starting XI with fellow former Blues man Asmir Begovic among the substitutes.

Confirmed Bournemouth starting XI: Begovic; Clyne, S Cook, Ake, Smith; Brooks, Gosling, Stanislas, Surman, Fraser; King.

Callum Hudson-Odoi is absent entirely from the matchday squad as speculation continues to mount that he will exit Stamford Bridge.

Gonzalo Higuain however makes his Premier League debut, and will lead the line, with Eden Hazard shifted out wide after playing much of the season as a false 9.

Confirmed Chelsea starting XI: Arrizabalaga; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Rudiger, Emerson; Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic; Pedro, Higuain, Hazard

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Betting & Match Odds

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Chelsea's odds of winning are priced at 8/13 according to bet 365, while a draw is available at 10/3. A win for Bournemouth is priced at 19/4/

Click here to see all of bet 365's offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

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Match Preview

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Chelsea’s position in the Champions League spots was put under greater threat on Tuesday, when Arsenal secured a 2-1 win over Cardiff on an emotional night at the Emirates. 

Burnley, meanwhile, did the Blues a favour by taking an unexpected point from Manchester United, but the spectre of the Old Trafford club also lies over them as they chase a return to Europe’s elite competition.

Maurizio Sarri’s side, meanwhile, have looked vulnerable in recent weeks. A succession of narrow wins have been peppered with surprisingly dropped points and in their last Premier League outing they were comprehensively beaten 2-0 by Arsenal.

Progress in both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup has been welcome, but with league fixtures against Manchester City and Tottenham to come later this month – as well as the Carabao Cup final – now is the time that Sarri’s men need to rediscover their best level.

The sideshow that continues to link Eden Hazard with a move to Real Madrid has not helped their cause and it is something that the manager seems to be growing weary of.

“If he wants to go, I think he has to go,” he said. “Of course, I hope for the opposite. I hope he wants to stay here with us and improve. He has the potential to be the best player in Europe at the moment.”

The future of the Belgian surely hinges on Chelsea’s ability to play Champions League football, and if they are to achieve that then this is the type of fixture they need to win. 

Having punched above their weight under the guidance of Eddie Howe, the Cherries have gone through a tougher spell of late, losing nine of their last 13 games, though they did redress the balance somewhat by winning 2-0 in their last outing against West Ham.

Goals from Callum Wilson and Josh King gave them the points on that occasion and a repeat performance would be heartily welcomed against one of the Premier League’s big guns.