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Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has provided a fitness update on Reece James, Malo Gusto and Romeo Lavia for the Premier League clash with Bournemouth on Saturday, September 14, at the Vitality Stadium.
Both James and Lavia are out after sustaining hamstring injuries in August, with the Chelsea captain missing multiple matches, while the Belgian midfielder has missed three. Gusto, meanwhile, suffered a thigh injury during the second half of the Blues' clash with Crystal Palace on September 1.
Maresca has confirmed that James and Gusto won't be a part of their upcoming match against Bournemouth, but Lavia could feature. At the pre-match press conference, Maresca said about the injured players in his squad (via METRO):
"Malo is still out. He is not available for tomorrow’s game. Romeo Lavia is very close; hopefully, he is back for the next game,’ Maresca added. Unfortunately, Reece James needs more time."
Speaking about what's required for the squad to do better against the Premier League giants in the upcoming matches, the Blues manager added:
"Today, if you want to compete, you need to find the right balance between the technical side and the physical side. City, Arsenal and Liverpool have those players that are physically strong but we have that too."
Chelsea are 11th in the Premier League with four points after three matches.
Chris Sutton's prediction on Chelsea's upcoming PL clash against Bournemouth
Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton has given his prediction for the Blues' upcoming Premier League clash with Bournemouth. The Cherries are unbeaten in the league, with two draws and one win, while Maresca's side have managed one win and a loss in three outings.
After mentioning Bournemouth's undefeated streak, Sutton shared that he's unsure of what to expect from the Blues. While heavily relying on Cole Palmer, the pundit predicted a 1-1 draw. In his column for BBC, Sutton wrote:
"Bournemouth are still unbeaten this season, even if their win at Everton was fortunate. ... they had a good five minutes, but that was it. ... which is a bit like the way my career went.
"I really don't know what to expect from Chelsea though, or if Cole Palmer is going to be fit enough to play. Because of that, I am going to sit on the fence and go for a draw."
In their last five matches with Bournemouth, the Blues have bagged three wins and two draws. In their last meeting, they lost 1-0 to the Cherries at home in the Premier League in December 2019.
