When Bournemouth play Southampton at home in the Premier League on Wednesday night, they will be looking to extend their current undefeated streak in the league to an amazing seven matches. The match will take place at the Vitality Stadium.
At the weekend, the Cherries were involved in a 2-2 tie with fellow newly-promoted side Fulham, while the Saints were held to a 1-1 draw with West Ham United due to a late comeback by the Hammers.
Our Match Preview: Bournemouth vs Southampton
Bournemouth’s interim manager Gary O’Neil has been receiving high accolades after leading the team to a sixth consecutive Premier League victory (a 4-4 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage).
Dominic Solanke and Jefferson Lerma put Bournemouth up twice, but Issa Diop and Aleksandar Mitrovic answered both times, with Lerma falling from hero to zero when he conceded a penalty that Mitrovic converted.
There has been enough to appreciate about the Cherries under the 39-year-leadership, old’s as they stay in the top half of the table in 10th position with 13 points to their credit despite O’Neil’s swift criticism of the “awful” decision to penalize Lerma after the final whistle.
Although Brighton & Hove Albion have a game in hand, Bournemouth is just one point away from the top seven and a potential European berth, and they have a chance to tie a club record on Wednesday night.
Indeed, the hosts have a chance to replicate their greatest Premier League undefeated run, as they went seven games without a loss in 2017-18. Only leaders Arsenal have beaten Bournemouth at home this season.
While Bournemouth continues to calm relegation worries, Southampton supporters are getting anxious about their team’s chances after being winless in five Premier League games after a 1-1 draw with West Ham.
Although Southampton took a 1-0 lead into halftime thanks to a deflected goal from Romain Perraud, West Ham fought hard and were rewarded with an equalizer when Declan Rice curled in a wonderful attempt from the outside of the box.
The one bright side for Ralph Hasenhuttl and company was that they didn’t lose for the sixth game in a row. However, with Wolverhampton Wanderers edging out Nottingham Forest, the Saints have fallen below the dotted line into 18th position with just eight points.
Hasenhuttl’s team has only scored two goals and let up nine in their previous 450 minutes of Premier League play. They have also gone a remarkable 16 Premier League games without a clean sheet and have given up goals in each of their last 19 away games.
Though the loss of Armel Bella-Kotchap to a major injury won’t help the Saints’ cause, they have won their past four Premier League games played away from home against Bournemouth, and there’s more at stake than just local pride in this South Coast showdown.
Our Team News: Bournemouth vs Southampton
The Bournemouth treatment room hasn’t changed much lately; David Brooks (thigh) and Lloyd Kelly (ankle) are still out, but Ben Pearson (knee) should be available again.
Centre-back Since Jack Stephens can’t play against his parent club, the offensive burden will fall on Marcos Senesi and Chris Mepham to form a solid partnership in front of Neto.
Given the short turnaround, Jordan Zemura and Jaidon Anthony might replace some of the regulars on the left side, but otherwise, the home team is expected to start with the same lineup.
Center defender Bella-Kotchap went down with a dislocated shoulder late in the first half of Southampton’s match against West Ham, and the 20-year-old might be sidelined for up to eight weeks.
Bella-Kotchap is now in the medical bay with Romeo Lavia (thigh) and Valentino Livramento (knee), but Theo Walcott is almost back from sickness and should take over for the time being. But Ibrahima Diallo’s glitch raises further questions.
Stuart Armstrong is trying to replace Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who did put in superior performance at St. Mary’s, but Hasenhuttl may not see the need to make a slew of changes after limiting West Ham to a point.
- Bournemouth possible starting lineup: Neto, Mepham, Senesi, Zemura, Christie, Fredericks, Lerma, Cook, Tavernier, Billing, Solanke.
- Southampton possible starting lineup: Bazunu, Walker-Peters, Caleta-Car, Salisu, Perraud, Aribo, Maitland-Niles, Ward-Prowse, Elyounoussi, Adams, Armstrong.
Our Prediction: Bournemouth 1-0 Southampton
Without the brilliant Bella-Kotchap leading the defense, Southampton’s defensive woes on the road, which have persisted for months, are likely to worsen.
With an additional day to prepare, O’Neil’s team should be able to overcome the out-of-form Saints by a single goal and extend their unbeaten record.