Chelsea vs Bournemouth LIVE: Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo decisions confirmed

2026-10-10 · FootballLondon

Stamford Bridge is the venue for Chelsea's Premier League clash with Bournemouth this afternoon as the Blues look to end a torrid three-game run of no wins in the competition

Hello and welcome to football.london for live coverage of Chelsea's Premier League showdown with Bournemouth this afternoon.

Stamford Bridge plays host as the Blues return to competitive action today after three weeks off. Just over three weeks ago, Chelsea suffered a miserable evening at Brentford, losing 3-0 in an abysmal second-half showing from Xabi Alonso's side, who will be determined to bounce back in style today.

For Alonso, he won't be entertaining the thought of going four league matches without a win, making this afternoon's visit of the Cherries that bit more important.

As for Bournemouth, Marco Rose, appointed as Andoni Iraola's successor over the summer, is yet to win a league match since taking over. Rose believes one win could be the catalyst to kickstart his team's season and they will be hoping to catch Chelsea out later this afternoon.

Kick-off at Stamford Bridge is at 3pm (UK time). Bobby Vincent and Jake Stokes are live in west London throughout the day to bring you all of the action and analysis.

Reece James absence explained

Reece James has been left out of the Chelsea squad for this afternoon's fixture with Bournemouth after the Blues captain sustained what has been described as a 'small injury' in yesterday's training session.

A blow for Xabi Alonso.

Xabi Alonso on Cole Palmer

Xabi Alonso insists Cole Palmer remains committed to England after Thomas Tuchel's criticism - but spoke about the significance of the Chelsea star being fit enough to play.

Palmer pulled out of the latest England camp due a problem with his groin, an injury that plagued his 2025/26 campaign and ultimately saw him miss out on a spot in Tuchel's World Cup squad.

After the 24-year-old withdrew from the latest Three Lions group, Tuchel questioned the Chelsea attacker's commitment and said he "misses way too many camps". Palmer has played just three times since Tuchel took over in January 2025.

Bournemouth team news

Petrović, Smith, Hill, Silva, Truffert, Adams, Brooks, Rayan, Christie, Tavernier, Evanilson.

Substitutes: Di Gregorio, Soler, Diakite, Cook, Juanlu, Toth, Gannon Doak, Jebbison, Rodriguez.

And on the Chelsea bench...

Substitutes: Penders, Fofana, Gusto, Hato, Palestra, Lavia, Quenda, Estevao, Welbeck.

Chelsea team news

Emi Martinez; Levi Colwill, Maxence Lacroix, Josh Acheampong; Pep Chavarria, Jordan Henderson, Moises Caicedo, Pedro Neto; Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer; Joao Pedro.

Good afternoon

Hello and welcome back to football.london for live coverage of Chelsea's Premier League fixture with Bournemouth this afternoon.

The Blues go into today's clash winless in their last three in the league, while the Cherries are yet to record a victory in the top-flight since Marco Rose took over in the summer.

Bobby Vincent is live at Stamford Bridge throughout the afternoon to bring you continuous updates from what should be a hugely entertaining battle.

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