In truth, in-form Bournemouth come in as favourites. The Cherries are all-but safe after back-to-back wins and can move above Chelsea with victory today.
Bournemouth have won four of their last five league games.
Since the beginning of April, only Manchester City and Newcastle United have won more Premier League games than Bournemouth’s five.
Lampard on Fofana: “Fofana had a bit of an issue with his hamstring yesterday travelling down, so it’s more of a precaution on that one. Other than that we’ve got a squad, so the players that come in have to show what they can do.”
The Chelsea players warming up…
Dom Smith the Vitality Stadium
While Wesley Fofana’s absence is enforced due to a hamstring injury, the fact Lampard has dropped Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Raheem Sterling is no real surprise.
Aubameyang had just nine touches in an ineffectual display against Arsenal last time out — while Sterling’s execution in the final third left something to be desired.
Havertz and Mudryk will hope to make an impact as the pair who come in up front.
Confirmation from Dom Smith that Wesley Fofana was left out of the Chelsea squad due to a hamstring injury.
The £70million signing travelled with the squad to the south coast but was not included, with Benoit Badiashile starting in a back-three alongside Thiago Silva and Trevoh Chalobah.
Fofana has struggled for form in recent weeks and looked unhappy when he was substituted by Frank Lampard late on in Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat at Arsenal.
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly this week promised fans he will get it right and bring the good times back to Stamford Bridge.
Boehly says he and co-owners Clearlake Capital have learned a lot about the transfer market in their first year in football and insists they will turn Chelsea back into winners.
Chelsea have endured one of the worst seasons in their history and are on course for their lowest Premier League finish, despite spending more than £600million on new players since Boehly and Clearlake took over last May.
Boehly has been criticised for his running of the club but he remains optimistic about the future, as Chelsea close in on the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach.
Speaking at the Milken Institute conference on Wednesday, Boehly said: “Our view though was that this is a long-term project and we are committed to the long-term.
“We very much believe that we are going to figure it out. We have got the best league in the world, we have got what I think is the top city in the world and we have got an unbelievable location in the top city in the world.
“There is a market for top players in every country in the world and each one of those markets is different. You have the Portuguese market, the French market, the English market so (you have) the ability to go to these markets.
“Then of course you have to build a team, your coach is the conductor of the team.”
There is no place for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Wesley Fofana in the Chelsea squad today.
Fofana misses out with a hamstring injury.
For Bournemouth, Gary O’Neil names the same side that started last weekend’s 4-1 win over Leeds on the south coast.
So Benoit Badiashile starts for Chelsea.
The January signing has had to make do with a bit-part role in recent weeks but comes into the team at the Vitality Stadium.
Frank Lampard makes five changes following Tuesday’s 3-1 away defeat by Arsenal.
Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, Mykhailo Mudryk, Conor Gallagher and Kai Havertz all come into the starting line-up.
Cesar Azpilicueta, Wesley Fofana, Mateo Kovacic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Raheem Sterling are the players to make way.
Confirmed lineups: Badiashile starts
Bournemouth XI: Neto, Smith, Senesi, Kelly, Vina, Rothwell, Lerma, Ouattara, Billing, Christie, Solanke
Subs: Travers, Stephens, Cook, Mepham, Brooks, Stacey, Semeyo, Zabarnyi, Anthony
Chelsea XI: Kepa, Badiashile, Chalobah, Silva, Chilwell, Kante, Fernandez, Gallagher, Madueke, Havertz, Mudryk.
Subs: Mendy, Kovacic, Pulisic, Felix, Loftus-Cheek, Sterling, Ziyech, Azpilicueta, Hall.
