Confirmed Chelsea team vs Bournemouth as £56m star starts on the bench again despite being fit

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has started Raheem Sterling in place of the injured Mykhailo Mudryk. This is the English man’s first start in months but he’s returned to full fitness and will be hoping to end a difficult campaign on a high.

There is also a start for the impressive Thiago Silva who is leaving the club at the end of this game, the 39-year-old will head back to Brazil after four glittering years in west London.

The Chelsea manager has also started Noni Madueke, who has been improving since the start of the year. Madueke continues to give the team balance and stays in the starting XI ahead of the much-experienced Christ.

Bournemouth come into Stamford Bridge still with a chance to finish in the top half of the league table, an incredible job by the manager Andoni Iraola. But Chelsea still have a chance to finish fifth and will definitely secure some form of European football if they can beat the Cherries today.

So with a lot to still play for this is the team Pochettino has named for the game:

Petrovic, Badiashile, Thiago, Cucurella, Chalobah, Palmer, Caicedo, Gallagher, Noni, Sterling and Jackson.

The Blues have won their last four games including the last one against Brighton and dominating the Seagulls who finished ahead of them last season. Last season Chelsea finished 12th and sixth place finish will be a massive improvement even though there is clearly a long way to go before they’re back challenging for title.