Football Pundits Predictions for Chelsea vs Bournemouth

Last Updated on 30/12/2025 by Andy Clark

Chelsea face Bournemouth in tonight’s Premier League fixture, looking to get back to winning ways after a tough run of results over Christmas. Bournemouth are struggling too and were thrashed 4-1 at Brentford last time out.

We have put together the predictions of Chris Sutton, Paul Merson and Jones Knows, as well as giving our own thoughts on the match.

Thatsagoal Prediction

Chelsea are consistently inconsistent this season. Even in matches, they will put together a brilliant half of football and fall apart in the other 45 minutes. This was the case away at Newcastle and in their 2-1 home defeat to Aston Villa last time out. Bournemouth are no more consistent than Tuesday’s rivals, and their 4-1 hammering at Brentford will set alarm bells ringing, especially with star man Semenyo on his way out of the exit door before long. This is a must-win game for Chelsea after winning just once in their last seven, and it could be a thriller.

Score Prediction – Chelsea 3-2 Bournemouth (20/1 with the bet365 sign-up offer)

Paul Merson’s Prediction for Chelsea vs Bournemouth

Both teams are struggling at the moment. If it’s the Chelsea that turned up in the first half against Aston Villa, they will rip Bournemouth to shreds! It’s a good time for Chelsea to be playing Bournemouth, who are without a win in nine games.

If West Ham start picking up points, Bournemouth are in trouble. They are on a downward spiral and could slip into the relegation zone if it happens. But since the next game is against Chelsea, you never know. Chelsea play well in patches and it’s difficult to know whether they will be good or vulnerable on the day.

I’ve told you this from the start of the season, Cole Palmer made Nicolas Jackson and Jackson made Palmer! Nothing has changed. You look at Joao Pedro, he always wants to drop deep and Palmer isn’t the same player when they start together.

It’s quite funny how Chelsea lost to Aston Villa after they took Palmer off. Enzo Maresca would have been preserving him for the Bournemouth game. But now that they’ve lost, they are 10 points behind Villa. Even if Chelsea beat Bournemouth and Villa lose to Arsenal, there will still be seven points between them!

Stamford Bridge won’t be a good place to be if Chelsea lose this game. Bournemouth have been so poor and I think the hosts will get the win here.

Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Bournemouth

Chris Sutton’s Prediction for Chelsea vs Bournemouth

Chelsea are fifth but they are on a sticky run at the moment, with only one win in six league games.

When they got their draw with 10 men against Arsenal at the end of November, I thought they were in the title race, but they have completely fallen away.

Bournemouth’s poor run of results goes back even further, however. After climbing to second place at the end of October, they have not won any of their past nine matches.

It is a concerning time for their manager, Andoni Iraola, because this might be Antoine Semenyo’s last game for the Cherries. Maybe losing three of their first-choice defenders in the summer – Dean Huijsen (to Real Madrid), Milos Kerkez (to Liverpool), and Illia Zabarnyi (to Paris St-Germain) is catching up with them too.

I am not sure what is going wrong for the Cherries because they are still so aggressive in the way they press and play, but they are conceding a lot of goals and Brentford played right through them in the first half at the weekend.

It is only because West Ham have been so rotten that Bournemouth are still nine points clear of the relegation zone. I still always think Iraola’s side will score, but I am backing Enzo Maresca’s side to win the battle of two very patchy teams.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-1

Jones Knows Prediction for Chelsea vs Bournemouth

Enzo Maresca has been proven right. Chelsea are not in the title race.

After beating Burnley on November 22, Chelsea were three points behind leaders Arsenal. They are now 13 points off the pace.

Bournemouth could be just what Chelsea need right now though. Andoni Iraola’s team are winless in nine games and have conceded three or more goals in each of their last six Premier League away games as Iraola’s unique style is being ripped to shreds by opposition attackers.

Enzo Fernandez isn’t the first name most people gravitate towards in Chelsea goalscorer markets, but his underlying data at Stamford Bridge tells a different story. Across his last 10 home games in the Premier League and Champions League, he’s averaging 2.3 shots per 90 – the second-highest figure of any player in that sample.

More importantly, Fernandez is leading Chelsea for expected goals per 90 at home (0.4) across those matches. That’s a significant marker. He’s consistently getting into areas where chances carry genuine threat – meaning the 3/1 with Sky Bet on his anytime price is chunky.

SCORE PREDICTION: 3-2

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Andy Clark

Andy is the founder, owner and editor of thatsagoal.com, with over 20 years of experience in betting on sports. He has a keen eye for stats, particularly when looking at players to be carded, and these form a large part of the bet builder tips you see on the site. As well as creating daily football tips, Andy also keeps thatsagoal updated with all the best bookmaker promotions and offers for our readers.