MARC CUCURELLA OUT? PREDICTED LINEUP REVEALED AS CHELSEA CHASE VITAL WIN
With one win in six, Chelsea must beat Bournemouth. Get the latest team news on Reece James, Estevao, and Cole Palmer here.
Enzo Maresca might have to shake things up when Chelsea plays Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge tonight.
The Blues lost to Aston Villa 2-1 on Saturday after Ollie Watkins scored twice in the second half.
Chelsea hasn't been doing great, winning only one of their last six league games. They don't have much time to feel sorry for themselves since they have to play Bournemouth just three days later.
Maresca might need to make some changes against Andoni Iraola’s team, who haven't been doing so hot lately either. Their last win was way back in October against Nottingham Forest.
Marc Cucurella has been playing left-back for Chelsea almost every game this season, but he had to leave the game against Villa in the second half because he got hurt.
‘He said his hamstring was bothering him, so we don’t know if he’s injured or not. That’s why he asked to be taken out,’ Maresca said after the game when someone asked about Cucurella.
Because the games are so close together, the Chelsea coach might not want to take a risk. That means Malo Gusto could start at left-back instead of Cucurella.
Reece James played the whole game last weekend, but could play again tonight. Wesley Fofana might also be back in the starting lineup.
The guy was rested against Aston Villa to keep him in shape. Benoit Badiashille started instead, but that could switch back tonight.
Jorrel Hato could have started in Cucurella’s spot tonight, but he got injured during a warm-up recently and won’t be able to play against Bournemouth.
Romeo Lavia, Levi Colwill, and Dario Essugo are still out for the Blues for a while.
Chelsea's starting lineup against Bournemouth—STADIUMNEST's guess:
Maresca will likely stick with Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in the midfield, but he might switch things up further up the field.
Alejandro Garnacho hasn't been scoring much lately, so Jamie Gittens could take his place on the left wing tonight.
Estevao is healthy again, too. He came off the bench to replace Palmer against Villa and wants to start.
Palmer seemed annoyed when he was taken out of the game last weekend. He's probably hoping to play the whole 90 minutes tonight, which he hasn't done since coming back from his injury.
Chelsea vs. Bournemouth starts tonight (Tuesday, December 30)
XAVI OPENLY DECLARES INTEREST IN CHELSEA JOB DURING PERMANENT MANAGER SEARCH
With Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola on the shortlist, explore why Xavi Hernández wants to take over the Chelsea hotseat next.
Xavi has openly said he’d love to manage Chelsea, and now the Blues are hunting for someone to replace Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior got the sack last month after a rough patch just three months into his huge contract that was supposed to last six and a half years. Calum McFarlane is filling in as interim head coach until season’s end, but Chelsea are actively looking for a permanent boss for the 2026/27 campaign.
They're considering some big names. Xabi Alonso’s been mentioned; he’s been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in January. Andoni Iraola, who’s about to leave Bournemouth, is also on the shortlist.
Cesc Fabregas has been linked after his strong run at Como, and Frank Lampard’s in the mix too, fresh off winning the Championship with Coventry and securing promotion.
But Xavi really stands out. He’s already made it clear he’s interested in the Chelsea job. Back in 2019, before his Barcelona return, he said, “I don’t hide it; my goal is to come back to Europe and to Barca. It's my challenge, but I’m enjoying this current project. For me, training a team in Barcelona would be a privilege, the biggest privilege.”
He didn’t just talk about Spain either. “Honestly, who doesn’t love the Premier League? The atmosphere, packed stadiums, everyone says it’s incredible,” Xavi admitted. “If I had to pick, I’d go for a big team: City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, or Tottenham. Klopp, Pochettino, and Unai Emery are doing amazing work there.”
After returning to Barcelona in 2021, Xavi led them to a La Liga title and the Supercopa de España before Hansi Flick took over in 2024. He’s been out of work since.
Now, Chelsea seems seriously interested in the Spaniard. According to The i, the club wants someone who can embed a strong football identity across their teams, something Enzo Maresca started.
Getting Xavi won’t be easy, though. Morocco’s national team reportedly sees him as a top candidate to replace Walid Regragui, and Manchester United is eyeing him too as they weigh options beyond Michael Carrick.
Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso is the bookmakers’ favourite for the Chelsea role, but word is he’d want more control over club decisions if he moves to west London.
COLE PALMER MISSES PENALTY AS CHELSEA SUFFER HISTORIC SIXTH CONSECUTIVE LEAGUE DEFEAT
Chelsea matched a 1912 record with their 6th straight loss, falling 3-1 to Forest as Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice at the Bridge.
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Chelsea hit rock bottom again, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. That’s six Premier League defeats in a row now, something the club hadn’t seen since 1912. Just when you thought the season couldn’t get any worse, Forest showed up with a makeshift lineup and absolutely stunned them. Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice, one barely a minute into the match, and then Igor Jesus put away a penalty, and suddenly Forest was six points clear of the drop zone.
Chelsea hadn’t scored in five games, and it looked like that streak would go on forever. Then, in stoppage time, Joao Pedro finally managed an overhead kick to break the drought. That run was made even more ridiculous earlier when Cole Palmer missed a first-half penalty. Matz Sels, Forest’s backup goalkeeper, saved it.
Honestly, the crowd in the Shed End probably barely recognised their own team. Pereira swapped in seven new outfield players, most of them with almost no league experience; he was clearly thinking about the upcoming Europa League semi-final. But it looked like Chelsea was the stranger out there.
Things only got worse for interim head coach Calum McFarlane. He lost Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho to late injuries, so 18-year-old Jesse Derry had to make his Premier League debut. Then, late in the first half, Derry collided heads with Forest’s Zach Abbott and had to be stretchered off after getting oxygen. It was brutal to watch.
The match itself? Chaos. Less than two minutes in, Chelsea messed up their own throw-in and let Forest stroll through midfield. Dilane Bakwa beat Marc Cucurella with little effort and crossed to Awoniyi, who was completely unmarked and headed it in.
Fifteen minutes later, Chelsea conceded again. Bakwa whipped in another cross; Malo Gusto pulled Awoniyi’s shirt, and VAR handed Forest a penalty. Jesus hammered it right down the middle.
The first half was hopeless, and by the end, serious concern set in after that nasty head clash between Derry and Abbott. Abbott, playing just his second league game, left on his own, but Derry needed serious treatment and was stretchered off.
After a nearly ten-minute stoppage, Palmer’s penalty was stopped by Sels. At halftime, Levi Colwill returned from a major injury he hadn’t played since tearing his ACL in August. He tried to restore order, but nothing changed.
Forest’s third goal came just seven minutes into the second half. Gibbs-White crossed, and Awoniyi tapped in from close range, just managing to stay onside. Chelsea’s keeper, Robert Sanchez, took a knock and left with a bandaged head after colliding with Gibbs-White.
Pedro’s late goal barely counted for anything. The few Chelsea fans left in the stadium cheered, but it was more out of irony than joy.
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