Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi could be given the chance to impress for Chelsea in place of the suspended Diego Costa
Chelsea face a home game with Bournemouth on Boxing Day. The Blues as usual will be favourites to claim maximum points.
However, they will have to accomplish their mission without influential pair striker Diego Costa and defensive midfielder N’Golo Kante.
Both players are suspended for the visit of the Cherries having picked-up their fifth yellow cards of the campaign last time out in the 1-0 win at Crystal Palace.
A healthy lead at the top
The Blues head into the festive period six points clear at the top of the Premier League table. Their 11 match winning run has been achieved with a mixture of skill, attrition and good decisions by boss Antonio Conte.
Nobody at the south west London club will be resting on their laurels though. The Blues Italian head coach will simply not allow it. The former Juventus boss is the sort of guy that is always looking at improving his team’s performances and tactics.
He is reportedly a tireless worker, which he was on-the-pitch during his playing days and expects the same of his players. So far the players have responded to him perfectly and that is why the Blues are top of the Premier League table with a healthy lead.
A chance for others to impress
The absence of top scorer Diego Costa is a blow. However, I suspect that Chelsea would rather be missing the Spaniard now than when they have to take a trip to Tottenham next Wednesday. The same goes for the influential Kante.
Both players will be missed, but Bournemouth are poor on their travels and despite a shock win at Stamford Bridge last season, will see this as a game they are probably going to lose. The absence of Kante and Costa gives other players in the squad a chance to impress.
The absence of Kante will not be a problem against Bournemouth. The Blues are likely to pair Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic in the centre of midfield. The pair have been job sharing for the last couple of weeks alongside Kante.
One game Matic would play then the next it would be Fabregas, obviously depending on the opposition and how Conte wanted to play. The two players are both very good players, but they tend to bring different qualities to the team.
Matic is far more defensively reliable. He also offers more of a physical presence than his Spanish counterpart. The Serbian has been given a new lease of life by the arrival of Conte. He has even produced five assists this season for the Blues.
Cesc Fabregas has endured frustration this season. The Spaniard had spent most of the campaign on the bench until recently when he was been rotating with Matic. The pair of course have played together in the past when Jose Mourinho won the title in his second season. Kante absence should not hit the Blues too hard.
Costa is undoubtedly one of the best strikers in the Premier League. He has been threading a disciplinarian tightrope for a while, but finally picked up that fifth suspension against Palace.
It may be strange to say but it may do the Spanish international some good to have a rest. He works so tirelessly for the Blues. His potential replacement is Belgian international striker Michy Batshuayi, who arrived at the club from Marseille for £33million in the summer.
The striker impressed during the European Championship in his cameo appearances for the Red Devils. He was also highly rated prior to the Euro’s. Conte has praised the striker’s attitude and behaviour in training.
The striker no doubt has ability, so the Bournemouth game at least gives him the opportunity to get on the field, as his first team chances have been scarce with Costa in such good form this season.
Chelsea to record victory number 12
The Blues will be confident of recording their 12th straight league victory against Bournemouth. Chelsea are odds of 2/5 to beat the visitors. It is hard to see any other result occurring with the team’s recent respective records.
There may be a lot of time left in the season, but at the moment Antonio Conte’s Chelsea are in great shape. Even worse for their rivals Costa and Kante will now have had a short break from action, so will have even more energy in future games.
A one game enforced absence for the pair may just be the key to the Blues being even stronger for the rest of the campaign.
Will Chelsea’s winning run continue against Bournemouth?
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