Chelsea will welcome Bournemouth to Stamford Bridge with a significantly lighter injury list than their visitors, after a largely favorable international break for Enzo Maresca's squad.
The Blues had feared the worst when both Mike Penders and Romeo Lavia picked up knocks while away with their respective national teams, but subsequent assessments revealed neither issue to be serious, easing concerns ahead of the weekend fixture.
The one blemish on an otherwise clean bill of health for Chelsea is Jamie Gittens, who sustained an ankle injury while on England Under-21 duty. The winger is expected to be sidelined for several weeks as a result, representing the only significant fitness concern for the hosts heading into the match.
Bournemouth, by contrast, arrive in London with a lengthy list of absentees that will test the depth of Marco Rose's squad. The most notable loss is midfielder Alex Scott, a player Chelsea themselves tried to sign in the summer transfer window. Scott earned his first England cap during the break, impressing in a substitute appearance against Croatia, but picked up a muscle injury in the process that is set to keep him out for a month or more.
Rose addressed the issue in his pre-match press conference on Thursday, confirming the club would conduct further scans to assess the extent of the damage. "It's an injury from a muscle, and we'll do pictures [scans] in some days again," the Cherries boss said. "But we're going to miss him, for sure, for four or five weeks. I'm very disappointed and it's a big loss."
Despite the setback, Rose was quick to praise his player's achievement in earning international recognition, while stressing there was no one to blame for the timing of the injury. "We miss a very important player, but I don't want to blame anyone," he said. "We are very happy that he made his debut for the English national team. He did well and we just hope that he is getting fit again quite soon."
Scott is far from the only player Bournemouth will be without at Stamford Bridge. Eli Junior Kroupi continues to be sidelined by the same foot problem that has kept him out of action for the entirety of the season so far, while Julian Araujo remains unavailable because of a thigh injury. Julian Kluivert is also missing with a minor muscle complaint, and Veljko Milosavljevic rounds out the list of confirmed absentees with a muscular issue of his own.
Amine Adli's participation is uncertain, with the forward carrying a calf problem that has left him as a doubt for the trip north. There was, however, a positive note for Rose in the news that David Brooks is available for selection after being rested from Wales duty during the international break specifically to protect his fitness.
With so many key personnel unavailable, Bournemouth will need contributions from their fringe players to cope with the disruption to their attacking and midfield options. Chelsea, meanwhile, will be able to call upon something close to a full-strength squad as they look to capitalize on their opponents' depleted ranks on home turf.
Based on reporting from Standard (football).