AFC Bournemouth is probably one of the tougher luck teams in the early stages of the Premier League season. The Cherries have a fairly dreadful -7 goal differential and have just seven points to show for their first nine matches of the year, but they've deserved better in a number of their games. They'll have a shot at turning the tide just a bit when Chelsea comes to Dean Court on Saturday.
At 12:30 p.m. ET, tune into NBC for live television coverage of this English Premier League match on Saturday, October 28, 2017, at Dean Court.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Bournemouth +425
Chelsea -163
Draw +300
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
The Blues have to be odds-on favorites here, but for as strangely as they have struggled against some of the lesser teams in England over the course of the last eight months or so dating back to last season, there can't be a slew of confidence in this.
Chelsea is set at -163 on the moneyline and is favored by a goal on the Asian Handicap.
The total is relatively standard at 2.5 with -150 vig on the over.
Key Injuries
This Chelsea side just doesn't seem to have the same sort of spunk that last year's team had. Losing N'Golo Kante and Victor Moses over the course of the last couple weeks hasn't helped this team at all. Kante is one of these players who Antonio Conte can always count upon for a jolt of speed, while Moses is one of the grittier midfielers in all of English soccer. These aren't the most talented men, but missing worker bees in a lineup like this could prove to be devastating.
The Cherries aren't in bad shape on the injury front right now. Joshua King and Jermain Defoe are both question marks for this match, and we know that Adam Federici, Tyrone Mings and Brad Smith are out of the fold.
Recent Form
Things are starting to look up for Eddie Howe's side. Bournemouth was solid in the second half against Middlesboro in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, picking up a 3-1 victory to advance into the quarterfinals of the tournament. That came on the heels of a tremendous 2-1 win at Stoke City in Bournemouth's last EPL match last weekend. The Cherries haven't been beaten by more than one goal in a fixture since dropping a 3-0 decision against Arsenal on September 9, the lowest point of a horrible start to their season.
Chelsea saw Everton out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night with a 2-1 victory at the Bridge, a win that came four days after a convincing 4-2 victory over Watford.
The troubling problem for the Blues comes at the back. They've conceded at least once in six consecutive matches across all competitions and have allowed the same number of goals this season as clubs like Huddersfield, Brighton & Hove Albion, West Brom and Swansea City.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Chelsea isn't championship material at this point, and with that being the case, Conte could be managing for his job virtually every single week for the time being. A loss in this match, and he could be sacked just 10 fixtures into a season that comes after one of the best years in EPL history.
Life isn't fair for managers in the Premier League, but that's what we've come to at this point. Chelsea wants to see results, and this club just isn't capable of getting them. A 3-0-1 record on the road this year is nice, but we can't help but wonder if an in-form Bournemouth side is going to heap a considerable amount of pressure on the champs by stealing at least a draw, if not more from them on Saturday.
English Premier League Odds: Bournemouth 1, Chelsea 1
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