- Chelsea won 3-0 on Boxing Day
- Cherries last won in Dec. 2015
- Chelsea leads all-time 5W-2L
Antonio Conte will be in the Chelsea dugout for Saturday’s NBC affair against Bournemouth, and for the foreseeable future (Watch at 12:30 p.m. EDT on NBC and online via NBCSports.com).
Speaking at Friday’s prematch press conference, Conte moved quickly to dismiss reports linking him to Inter Milan.
“I’m very happy to stay,” Conte said. “I worked in Italy. They want to come back for me in Italy. It’s normal. I have two more years of contract with Chelsea. This is the truth. This is the most important thing. I don’t like when I listen to other persons talking about me.”
The Blues enter the day with a seven-point lead atop the Premier League table, while Bournemouth is still within striking distance of the top half.
The Cherries might be just two points off ninth, but they are also only seven points above the drop zone. It’s a long shot that they’ll get dragged into the muck, but every point will feel like two or three.
What they’re saying
Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe on taking momentum to Chelsea: “I enjoy the challenge, I enjoyed it against Liverpool. Tactically it was very interesting with aspects changing throughout the game. I have a lot of respect for Jurgen Klopp and I think they’ll be very strong next year, they are strong this year as well. It reinforces our belief we can get points against anyone.”
Antonio Conte on the challenge of Bournemouth: “They are a really good team with a good coach. They have a good idea of football. I know the atmosphere at their stadium is hot. I think we must pay great attention because if we think tomorrow is easy we are making a great mistake.”
Prediction
The road will be a challenge, but one Chelsea will overcome with a 2-0 win at the Vitality Stadium.