Bournemouth will go up vs West Ham United in the Premier League on Sunday, looking to continue their recent run of form with a win at home.
Bournemouth are coming into the game vs West Ham United on the back of two consecutive league wins over Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur. They will be full of confidence heading into this game.
On the other hand, West Ham United are coming into the game vs Bournemouth on the back of a win over Fulham and an impressive draw against league leaders Arsenal in Gameweek 31. The Hammers picked up a comprehensive 4-1 win in the conference league during the midweek and they will fancy their chances of getting all three points here.
The two teams are still very much in a fight for survival, and they cannot afford to drop points at this stage of the season. The Hammers picked up a comfortable 2-0 win over Bournemouth at home earlier this season. But it remains to be seen whether the home side can avenge that defeat here.
A trip to the south coast awaits… ⚒️#WHUFC | @huboofulfilment pic.twitter.com/ZoGxponeKs
— West Ham United (@WestHam) April 21, 2023
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
The home side will be without the services of Ryan Fredericks and Junior Stanislas because of injuries. Bournemouth are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Neto in goal.
Adam Smith and Lloyd Kelly will likely to be deployed as the full-backs here. The two players will look to add creativity and width to the side along with their defensive duties. Jack Stephens will partner with Chris Mepham at the heart of the defence.
Joe Rothwell and Jefferson Lerma will start in the midfield. The two players will look to protect the central defenders. Ryan Christie and Dango Ouattara will be the wingers and the two players will look to add flair and pace from the wide areas.
Philip Billing will start as the central attacking midfielder and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. Finally, Dominic Solanke is set to lead the line for Bournemouth against West Ham United on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neto; Smith, Stephens, Mepham, Kelly; Rothwell, Lerma; Ouattara, Billing, Christie; Solanke
West Ham United
West Ham United will be without the services of summer signing Gianluca Scamacca, who required knee surgery recently and is sidelined for the remainder of the season. David Moyes is likely to field his side in a 4-2-3-1 formation as well, with Lukasz Fabianski in goal.
Vladimir Coufal and Emerson Palmieri will be the full-backs. The two players will look to create opportunities for their teammates in attack and protect the central defenders. Kurt Zouma will partner with Nayef Aguerd at the heart of the West Ham defence.
The midfield double pivot picks itself, with Tomas Soucek starting alongside Declan Rice. The two players will look to add defensive cover and drive to the West Ham midfield.
Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma will be the wingers and two players will be expected to add creativity and goals in the final third. Michail Antonio will lead the line in the absence of Scamacca with Lucas Paqueta behind him in the number ten role.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma; Antonio
Key Stats
- Bournemouth have scored at least two goals in their last four home matches against West Ham United in all competitions.
- West Ham have scored at least two goals in their last four matches against Bournemouth in all competitions.
- Bournemouth are unbeaten in four of the last six matches against West Ham.
- 23 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two sides.
- Dominic Solanke has been directly involved in more Premier League goals than any other Bournemouth player this season (5 goals, 6 assists). However, he has scored just once from 36 efforts at goal at the Vitality Stadium (3% conversion), compared to four goals from 26 shots in away league games this term (15%).
Player to watch
Declan Rice
The West Ham United captain has been in impressive form in the last few outings, and he was exceptional against the likes of Fulham and Arsenal. He managed to score against Gent in the midweek as well. Rice will be full of confidence heading into this contest. and his performance will be crucial to West Ham dominating the game in the middle of the park.
Rice & shine, Hammers! ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/z4dz5GgD7j
— West Ham United (@WestHam) April 21, 2023
Prediction
Bournemouth 1-1 West Ham United
Both teams have done reasonably well in the last few outings, and they will be desperate to pick up all three points year. Neither Bournemouth nor West Ham will want to end up on the losing side. So both teams could approach the game cautiously. The two sides are likely to cancel each other out, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw.
