The Cherries host Chelsea this afternoon as Andoni Iraola’s looks to end his side’s five-game winless run.
Bournemouth are coming off the back of a 1-0 loss to Everton on Tuesday night which saw yet another suspension for the Cherries who lead the league in yellow cards.
Iraola’s side have racked up 38 bookings so far this season and will be missing key player, Tyler Adams, for this afternoon's fixture.
With Iraola being forced into more team changes, these are our main talking points ahead of the game:
Midfield Change
With Tyler Adams suspended for picking up five yellow cards, Iraola will be forced to play someone out of position next to Alex Scott.
Ryan Christie is injured and Lewis Cook is suspended so it may be Marcus Tavernier having to adapt to the more defensive midfield position.
Tavernier is a very flexible player, capable in many positions but with Chelsea’s attacking strengths this may be an area the Blues will be looking to take advantage of.
Iraola said: “I think it wouldn’t affect us a lot if we had Lewis Cook, because he is a similar player in terms of position. We will have to use someone with different characteristics, and this will affect a little bit the way we play in different phases.”
Caicedo Suspension
Chelsea midfielder, Moises Caicedo, has been one of Enzo Maresca’s best players this season however after being sent off against Arsenal he will miss today’s game.
He missed Chelsea’s last game which saw them stunned by Leeds United in a 3-1 defeat at Elland Road.
The Blues looked defensively weaker in that game, partly due to Caicedo’s absence, and we think it will be something to give the Cherries confidence that they can exploit, just as Leeds did.
Iraola said: “They also have a big player missing (Caicedo), that I think is important for them. I would give them Caicedo if they gave me Tyler Adams and Lewis Cook, but it’s true that he’s a big player for them.”
Winless Run
It is now five games without a win for Iraola’s side with their last victory coming on the 26th of October, a 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest at Vitality Stadium.
The Cherries have had some good moments over the five previous games, however have not been able to keep the level that saw them make their best ever start to a Premier League campaign.
We asked Iraola in yesterday's press conference if he does anything different when his team is going through a rough patch.
He said: “I try to speak a lot to them, and I try to be closer to them. I think when you are not winning, we have to be closer and probably not be as hard on them. We are here to help them, and I hope we can do it all together.”
The game kicks off at 3pm this afternoon at Vitality Stadium.