Another all Premier League clash in the Carabao Cup quarter finals sees Chelsea welcome Bournemouth to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. Antonio Conte will be confident that his Chelsea side can progress against a struggling Bournemouth team and the Italian manager will be looking to get as far in the competition as possible to win more silverware for the club. For Eddie Howe, this competition represents a welcome break from the Premier League where his Bournemouth side have really struggled of late. He will view Wednesday’s match against Chelsea as something of a free hit for the club as they are the underdogs going into the game.
EFL Cup 7:45 PM, Wednesday, December 20th, 2017, Stamford Bridge, Chelsea, London
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Draw Best Odd of: 17/4 at Betway |
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Chelsea
Bournemouth
Chelsea
Chelsea have won four of their last five matches in the league, with their only defeat coming against West Ham United three matches ago. This weekend they overcame a stubborn Southampton side 1-0 thanks to a free kick from Marcos Alonso. Alvaro Morata again missed out, but the Spanish striker will be pushing for a return to the starting line up on Wednesday with Conte expected to shuffle his pack. The likes of Willy Caballero, Danny Drinkwater, Antonio Rudiger and Davide Zappacosta will all be hoping to pick up starting spots.
Bournemouth
Bournemouth were taken apart by Liverpool on Sunday as Jurgen Klopp’s side put four past Asimir Begovic. That defeat means that Eddie Howe’s side have now gone six games without a win; a run which has seen them slide to 16th in the table, just a point outside the relegation places. Bournemouth had chances against Liverpool, but the likes of Jermain Defoe and Jordan Ibe just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net. Howe may choose to make changes to his side for Wednesday’s match, but you would expect him to name a strong starting line up.
Talking Points
1. Only Swansea City, West Bromwich Albion and Brighton & Hove Albion have scored less goals than Bournemouth this season.
2. Chelsea have won five home games in a row in the Premier League and have conceded just twice in their last four matches at Stamford Bridge.
3. Jermain Defoe has found the net just three times in 15 matches this season and the 35-year-old has certainly looked well below his best this term.
Chelsea vs Bournemouth – Prediction
Chelsea have been solid recently and apart from that defeat to West Ham United, Antonio Conte’s side have been ruthlessly efficient. The opposite can be said for this Bournemouth side who have gone six games without a win and find themselves embroiled in a relegation battle. Eddie Howe likes his teams to play attractive, attacking football, but it just isn’t working right now and if they’re not scoring goals, they don’t have a strong enough defence to shut teams out. I think Chelsea will win this game comfortably on Wednesday night, even if Conte decides to make a raft of changes.
Betting Tips (Ladborkes): Chelsea vs Bournemouth
Chelsea start this game as massive favourites at odds of 3/10, whilst an away win for Bournemouth is priced up at 10/1, with the draw available at 5/1. I think Chelsea will win this game comfortably and the 11/10 available on Chelsea to win and BTTS (NO) looks like a good bet to me as I can’t see Bournemouth breaching this Chelsea backline. Michy Batshuayi has done well whenever he’s been given a chance this season and the Belgian is available at 4/6 to score at anytime; that also looks like a good value bet to me.
Chelsea to win and BTTS (NO) – 11/10 (Ladbrokes)