Following a brief break from the top flight for the Third Round of the FA Cup, AFC Bournemouth are back in Premier League action as they face a trip to London against Chelsea.
Andoni Iraola's team entertained fans with a confident 5-1 win over West Brom in the FA Cup, while his Cherries side are also on their longest-ever Premier League unbeaten run of eight fixtures.
Currently, the Cherries look set to be without a senior striker after both Evanilson and Enes Ünal fell to unfortunate long-term injuries.
The hosts, on the other hand, have been feeling rather blue as of late. Enzo Maresca's Chelsea side are winless in their last four league games, losing two.
However, after a blistering start to the season, the Italian's side are still placed fourth in the table. Chelsea will also hope to build momentum after breezing past Morecambe in a 5-0 FA Cup victory at the weekend.
With both teams setting their sights on European football next season after impressive starts to the season, an exciting and competitive game is lined up.
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Is Ouattara the answer?
One thing that Bournemouth have struggled with this season is converting chances, creating the fourth most xG in the Premier League but sitting 14th in the table when it comes to chance conversion (6.6%).
Additionally, this issue has been heightened by recent injuries to the two main centre-forwards at the club, meaning Iraola will have a decision to make come Tuesday.
Justin Kluivert leads the team's scoring charts, netting six times for Bournemouth in the Premier League, with five of those being from the penalty spot.
The Dutchman operates for the Cherries in the central attacking midfield spot, adding work rate, pace, and threat to Iraola's attack.
The 25-year-old also shares the clinical traits of his dad and of legendary striker Patrick Kluivert, and the former Roma man is potentially a candidate to change position and follow in the footsteps of his father to lead Bournemouth's frontline.
Another option for Bournemouth's striker dilemma is their Burkina Faso international Dango Ouattara.
As West Brom travelled to the south coast at the weekend, Iraola was forced to make a decision and gamble on who would be the brief replacement to lead Bournemouth's depleted forwards.
Ouattara was the man to start as striker, shifting from his usual position on the wing and it paid off for the Premier League side as Ouattara scored a first-half double.
The 22-year-old offers a similar pacy skillset to Kluivert, but his physical frame and ability to find chances could perfectly hint towards the molding of an Iraola-type striker.
Ouattara has also demonstrated his versatility under the Spanish manager, competently operating in an unfamiliar role at left-back role at times, hinting towards a potential change in position being smooth for the winger.
While Chelsea are a much tougher test to Iraola's Bournemouth side compared to West Brom, it will be interesting to see the Basque boss's selection and its results as the Cherries look for solutions.
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Palmer continues to bring the heat
Tailing on from a strong start to his Chelsea tenure, Maresca's honeymoon period in London seems to have cooled down as teams begin to discover the antidote to the Italian's tactics.
Chelsea are winless in four, losing local bragging rights at home against Fulham in dramatic and also surprisingly losing away to Ipswich.
However, one thing that is and has always been a constant in this Chelsea team is the consistency of Cole Palmer.
At the season's halfway point, Palmer boasts a record of 13 goals and six assists in 20 league appearances, perfectly backing up an outstanding debut season last year, where the attacker was named as PFA Young Player of The Year.
During Chelsea's recent rough patch, the 22-year-old continues to be the club's shining light and Maresca's man as he scored both of the team's only two goals in their last four league games.
Other than Palmer in attack, the London side's forward line has struggled. Promising winger Noni Madueke is six games without a goal, while Pedro Neto has not scored since netting his first goal in blue against Arsenal.
Finally, their attack's spearhead, Nicolas Jackson, has not scored in his last four appearances, but the Senegalese international sits second for his club when it comes to the seasonal scoring charts with nine Premier League goals.
Chelsea's attacking struggles and poor form outline how important the England international will be in this fixture, for his side and in Bournemouth's plans to limit the Blues.
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Squad players stepping up
On the face of things, Bournemouth are on top form, nine unbeaten in the Premier League with confidence at a maximum.
But for the Cherries, injuries have been a constant, leaving Iraola with an ever-shrinking squad while allowing certain squad players to gain a chance in the side.
David Brooks has been a delight to watch in recent weeks, providing a fine volley to defeat Everton, then captaining the side against West Brom and creating three of the five goals for the hosts.
Luis Sinisterra and Marcus Tavernier remain out with injuries, while Ouattara looks set to be utilised centrally to deal with the Cherries' striker issues, so Brooks will be able to nail down his place on the wing and gain a spotlight to impress.
Elsewhere, James Hill has been key in recent weeks as the 23-year-old has been given a spell in the starting side due to injuries.
Hill came into the side against Fulham, making his first league start for the club in the absence of Adam Smith. Since his introduction into the team, the former England Under-21 international has impressed.
Despite playing out of position as a right-sided full-back, the defender has provided creativity and a threat going forward from that side. In his first start, Hill supplied Evanilson with a fine assist to find an equaliser at Craven Cottage.
After originally looking likely to leave the club in search for more game time in the window, Hill now looks a player who could be a key asset to this Cherries side while also possessing interesting potential.
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Lessons to be learnt from the reverse fixture
As these two sides met at the Vitality Stadium earlier this season, it was a tale of one side being wasteful and the other being ruthless in front of goal.
Chelsea recorded their second away win of the season as Christopher Nkunku came off the bench to score a late winner for the London side.
However, the Frenchman's glory and scoreline of the game do not tell the true story of the fixture, as it was the home side who were on the front foot.
The Cherries fired 19 shots at the goal of Robert Sánchez, creating 1.33 xG compared to Chelsea's 0.64.
The home side were also awarded a penalty, but a nervous Evanilson stepped up and missed as the Brazilian looked for his first goal in red and black.
Maresca's side handed Bournemouth their first defeat of the season and their fifth victory against the Cherries in their last six meetings.
As they sit just three points behind Chelsea and the Champions League spots, Iraola will hope that his side can get their revenge against the Blues in a much more clinical and complete performance.
