Maresca: Chelsea Aiming to Regain Form Against Bournemouth

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said on Monday that his team will aim to build on their FA Cup victory over the weekend to regain form in the league as they face Bournemouth.

A streak of five consecutive wins had pushed Chelsea to second place and into the title race. However, a run of four league matches without a win dropped Maresca’s side to fourth place, 10 points behind leaders Liverpool.

Chelsea returned to winning ways with a 5-0 victory over fourth-tier Morecambe in the FA Cup on Saturday, providing a morale boost ahead of hosting Bournemouth, who remain unbeaten in their last eight league matches and are just three points behind the London club.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s match, Maresca said: “I hope we can build some momentum, but the Bournemouth match will be completely different. They are a very good, strong, and highly competitive team.”

Regarding injuries, the Italian manager said that winger Noni Madueke, who missed Saturday’s match, is 100% fit. He also highlighted the return of Reece James and Romeo Lavia, both of whom started in the FA Cup victory after recent hamstring injuries.

“We’re very happy for both of them,” Maresca said. “They played 45 minutes and were available. Since the beginning, we’ve been careful with their participation due to their sensitive situations.”