Premier League leaders Chelsea will be pursuing their 12th-consecutive victory in the league when they welcome Bournemouth on Boxing Day.

Currently, leading the second-placed Liverpool by six points, the Blues will take the field without two of their most important players- Diego Costa and N’Golo Kante. Both the players are serving a one-game ban after receiving their fifth yellow card of the season in the 1-0 victory against Crystal Palace. However, Antonio Conte’s men will back themselves to collect all the three points against the Cherries who have lost three of their last five games.

At the same time, the home team should not be complacent against a team which is unbeaten in each of their last six league games played on the Boxing Day, winning four and drawing two. Moreover, Eddie Howe’s men won on their last visit to the Stamford Bridge and their recent 4-3 victory against Liverpool is another indication that the Blues cannot take them lightly.

Kick Off:

Chelsea play Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Monday 26 December. Kick-off is at 3pm BST/8:30 IST.

Team news:

Chelsea:

Antonio Conte is likely to include Michy Batshuayi in the starting eleven to replace Diego Costa while Cesc Fabregas is expected to replace Kante. Absence of Costa might force Conte to change his 3-4-3 formation for this game. The Spain international has been one of the biggest reasons for Chelsea’s rise to the top of the league and the Blues will have to be at their very best to cope up without him. Chelsea might have won their last 11 games but they have struggled to score goals in recent games having won each of their last three matches 1-0.

The Blues will also miss their skipper John Terry as he has still not recovered from the injury.

Predicted lineup (3-4-3):

Thibaut Courtois, David Luiz, Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill, Victor Moses, Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas, Marco Alonso, Pedro, Eden Hazard, Michy Batshuayi.

Bournemouth:

Meanwhile, Eddie Howe will be without Junior Stanislas, Andrew Surman and Lewis Cook due to injuries. On the other hand, Nathan Ake, who scored the winner against Liverpool is also unavailable since he is not allowed to play against his parent club.

Predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):

Artur Boruc, Simon Francis, Steve Cook, Tyrone Mings, Charlie Daniels, Jack Wilshere, Harry Arter, Brad Smith, Joshua King, Marc Pugh, Callum Wilson

Key Stats:

The Blues have not lost a league game on Boxing Day since 2003 when they lost 4-2 to Charlton (W6 D5 L0 since).
The home team has won five of their last seven games in all competitions against the Cherries, losing the other two.
Victory against Bournemouth will see Chelsea set a club record of 12 successive league wins, beating the run of 11 wins set in September 2009. The overall record is held by Arsenal who won 14 games in 2002.
Chelsea are top of the Premier League on Christmas Day for the fifth time and have gone on to win the title on the last four occasions.
The Cherries won 1-0 at the Stamford Bridge last season.
The visitors have not lost in their last six league games on Boxing Day (W4 D2 L0).

Betting Odds:

Chelsea win: 4/11

Draw: 15/4

Bournemouth win: 7/1

Prediction:

Chelsea 1-0 Bournemouth