Cherries plot to complete Chelsea treble

LONDON • The battle in England to qualify for the Champions League is primed to go down to the wire, with Chelsea looking distinctly vulnerable.

In the aftermath of their morale-sapping 3-0 midweek defeat by Bayern Munich in the first leg of the last-16 Champions League tie, Frank Lampard admitted the Bundesliga champions had served his side "a reality check".

That humbling loss has punctuated how inconsistent Chelsea's form has been since the start of the year. Three Premier League wins from their past seven games have seen the rest of the chasing pack, led by Manchester United, close the gap to the fourth-placed Blues to just three points.

And with only seven points separating Chelsea and Arsenal in ninth, reaching next season's Champions League group stage will be a tight squeeze for the six clubs in contention.

While fifth spot could be enough to ensure qualification depending on the outcome of second-placed Manchester City's appeal against their two-year ban from Europe, Lampard's players would much rather keep fate in their hands when they travel to Bournemouth in the league today.

A first win in three top-flight away games would certainly help to lift the mood and restore some much-needed confidence after the Bayern pummelling.

Telling his teammates they could not afford to feel sorry for themselves, Blues midfielder Jorginho said: "It's really tough for the changing room, but we just have to believe in ourselves, and not put our heads down. We need to keep pushing, because we are a good team."

While the 16th-placed Cherries are in a relegation dogfight and just two points above the drop zone, they have beaten the Blues in their last two league meetings.

The visitors have also conceded 45 per cent - more than any other side - of shots on target in the league this campaign, prompting Lampard to drop the world's most expensive goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe believes his team can pull off another upset if they apply themselves similarly.

At his pre-match press conference yesterday, he said: "The key to that win (on Dec 14) - every player to a man performed.

"We have enjoyed the last two home games."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE


BOURNEMOUTH V CHELSEA

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 29, 2020, with the headline Cherries plot to complete Chelsea treble. Subscribe