A bit of Chelsea news in the gossip column today.

Chelsea are considering making a move for Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix which could see the 23-year-old arrive on loan in January with an option or obligation to buy the Portugal international in the summer.(Telegraph - subscription required), external

Chelsea haven't scored a goal since their win over Dinamo Zagreb on 2 November. They lost three games in a row without scoring before the World Cup break.

They haven't won a domestic game since beating Aston Villa on 16 October.

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Bolo Zenden
Former Chelsea midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

Graham Potter has only been there a few months so you still need to give him a little bit of time, but do you get time?

It would be sad to see something change again so soon. They're off the pace, will he put it back together? It's hard to say.

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Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Chelsea are desperate for a win after going six domestic games without a victory, and losing the past four of them, so the pressure is really on Blues boss Graham Potter here.

I am a strong believer that Potter just needs time to get things right at Stamford Bridge, but they have had issues with scoring goals since he took charge and they will need to finish their chances against Bournemouth, as well as create them.

I do expect Chelsea to win this game but it is going to be interesting to find out what happens with the Cherries next too.

Gary O'Neil's success as their caretaker boss meant he definitely deserved to be appointed on a permanent basis but, to keep the job, he needs to match those results now.

It's been exactly 11 weeks since Reece James last played a game for Chelsea, with the right-back absent through injury since the Blues' Champions League victory away to AC Milan back in October.

After missing out on England's World Cup squad due to the knee injury he picked up in Milan, he's finally back in action for his club side and in the starting line-up for tonight's game.

Image source, Chelsea FC

Bournemouth have conceded 32 Premier League goals this season, more than any other side, and 24 of those have come in away matches.

Bournemouth have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their 17 top-flight away games since a 1-0 win at... Chelsea in December 2019.

Bolo Zenden
Former Chelsea midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

For some [the break] might've helped. You talk about Chelsea and they are looking to restart the season. Liverpool are in a similar situation.

To get the players back from the World Cup where they either had a very good performance or a little less, everybody's keen to get back to winning ways and to be back in the Premier League.

It's still strange to stop a league mid-season for a period and play a tournament. Some said "I felt quite good during the World Cup, usually it's at the end of the season and you're more tired than at the middle". But the clubs are going to pay at the end of the season for the fact there was a big tournament.

For now, maybe nobody's complaining, but who knows in three months' time when the players are really tired?

This is Gary O'Neil's first Premier League match as Bournemouth's permanent head coach.

The Cherries took 13 points from 11 games during his caretaker spell and they gave him the full-time job during the World Cup - on 27 November.

Graham Potter's side are ninth in the Premier League table and were outside the top six on Christmas Day for only the second time in 22 seasons.

Unless they win this by six or more goals they will be eighth at best going into the next round of games.

Chelsea can lose four consecutive matches in all competitions for the first time since a run of six under Glenn Hoddle between October to November 1993.

They are in danger of suffering four straight Premier League defeats for the first time since February to March 1998.

The Blues have gone five league games without a win for the first time since a run of seven a decade ago.

Image source, BBC Sport

Graham Potter makes eight changes to the Chelsea team that lost against Newcastle on 12 November in their final game before the Premier League paused for the World Cup.

Reece James returns from injury after missing the tournament in Qatar, while Kepa Arrizabalaga, Thiago Silva, Marc Cucurella, Denis Zakaria, Raheem Sterling, Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz also start.

Chelsea XI: Arrizabalaga, James, Koulibaly, Silva, Cucurella, Jorginho, Zakaria, Mount, Sterling, Pulisic, Havertz.

Subs: Bettinelli, Aubameyang, Chalobah, Gallagher, Azpilicueta, Chukwuemeka, Hutchinson, Hall, Humphreys

Image source, BBC Sport

Bournemouth make three changes to the side that lost 1-0 to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup last week.

Lloyd Kelly comes in to captain the side and Jack Stacey and Jefferson Lerma also start in place of Chris Mepham, Ryan Christie and Jaidon Anthony.

Bournemouth XI: Travers, Smith, Kelly, Senesi, Zemura, Lerma Stacey, Cook, Billing, Solanke, Moore.

Subs: Plain, Stephens, Christie, Marcondes, Rothwell, Lowe, Dembele, Pearson, Anthony.

A bit of the ol' football news for you from an hour or two ago - Norwich have sacked boss Dean Smith.

They are fifth in the Champo, but 12 points off the automatic promotion spots.

There were seven Premier League games yesterday - see what happened here - and there's two more today.

Ready for Chelsea v Bournemouth (17:30 GMT) and Manchester United v Nottingham Forest (20:00)?

Let's do this.

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