Proper football is finally back this weekend, and Chelsea return to it by welcoming AFC Bournemouth to Stamford Bridge for a classic Saturday afternoon 3pm showdown. On paper, it’s a favorable matchup for our return from the international break: Bournemouth have yet to win a Premier League game this season, and we are unbeaten against them in nine straight (though with three straight draws).
But of course, things on the pitch are never as straightforward as on paper, and we entered the break on the heels of a rather poor 3-0 defeat against Brentford. Defense has been a concern all season, and in that game, the offense failed to produce as well. Hopefully the long break will have served as a bit of a reset for Xabi Alonso & Co.
Unfortunately, our injury situation remains rather murky and concerning. While those who did not get called up to international duty have been able to take some time off and then return to training (including one Marco Palestra), the likes of Cole Palmer, João Pedro, Reece James, and Moisés Caicedo have not been pictured in any of the official dispatches. Pictures of Palmer and JP showing up to the training ground did make the rounds yesterday on social media, but there is no concrete information available on any of them (or on Emmanuel Emegha, or on Jamie Gittens who picked up an ankle injury with England U21s). Alonso may shed a bit of light on things in his upcoming pre-match press conference, though he tends to be quite secretive overall.
Choose wisely, if perhaps a bit blindly.
