Bournemouth are all set to kick-start their 2023/24 Premier League campaign with a home fixture against West Ham United.
West Ham United will hit the road to square up against Bournemouth on Matchday 1 of the 2023/24 Premier League season. Both teams struggled last time out, but they did manage to survive relegation. This term, they will look to put on a better show and ensure they do not end up being involved in the race for survival.
Bournemouth finished 15th last season with just 39 points out of their 38 matches. They ended the season with a four-match losing streak and were just five points above the drop zone.
Andoni Iraola was appointed as the new boss of the Cherries a few months back, and he is all set to have his first managerial experience in the Premier League against the Hammers. Bournemouth have invested in some exciting talent during the summer, and they are expected to produce a much better outing in the upcoming season.
The pre-season was a mixed bag for the Cherries as they lost two and won two out of their four matches. They are heading into this fixture on the back of an easy 2-0 win against Lorient and will hope to replicate something similar against the Hammers.
Meanwhile, it is the start of a new era at West Ham United. The Hammers are heading into the new season without their superstar Declan Rice, who has left the club for Arsenal after helping them to the UEFA Conference League title last season.
The Rice deal was completed quite a few weeks back and post that, and they have had a significant amount of funds to work with and sign new players. However, they have not been efficient enough in the market and have only signed Edson Álvarez so far.
West Ham are closing in on the signatures of a few more players, but they might not be available until Matchday 3. The Hammers finished 14th last season and were far from their best. David Moyes will be keen on making sure they do not end up in yet another relegation battle.
West Ham were involved in a total of six pre-season matches, and they ended up winning three of those fixtures. They lost in their last two outings and will hope for a better show when they square up against Bournemouth. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at this fixture and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
👉 Update on injuries
👉 Latest on Scott
👉 Aarons' arrivalAndoni Iraola has delivered the first injury news of the season ahead of #BOUWHU 📝
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) August 11, 2023
Andoni Iraola will be without the services of Marcus Tavernier, Antoine Semenyo and Ryan Fredericks for the opening fixture of the season. Meanwhile, there are doubts about the participation of Adam Smith and Lloyd Kelly. They do have a boost as the duo of Dominic Solanke and Ryan Christie who missed the win over Lorient are expected to be back in the mix.
The Cherries are expected to go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formations, where Neto should be in goal. Amidst multiple injuries, the versatile Jaidon Anthony could start on the right-back position, and teenager Milos Kerkez could be the opposite flank.
In the heart of the defence, Marcos Senesi could pair up with 20-year-old Illia Zabarnyi. In the centre of the park, Lewis Cook could form the double pivot with Joe Rothwell. The duo will look to control the ball possession and dictate the pace of the game.
David Brooks will take charge on the right flank, while Dango Ouattara will be on the left flank. Philip Billing will feature in an attacking midfielder’s role while Dominic Solanke will be the number nine.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neto; Anthony, Senesi, Zabarnyi, Kerkez; Cook, Rothwell; Brooks, Billing, Ouattara; Solanke
West Ham United
David Moyes has a fully-fit squad for the opening away fixture against the Cherries. While Lucas Paqueta has been linked with a move to Manchester City, he is expected to feature in their first outing of the season right from the start.
Moyes will go ahead with the 4-3-3 formation where Lukasz Fabianski will be in goal. Vladimír Coufal and Emerson Palmieri will be the full-backs. Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna will start in the heart of the defence.
David Moyes reacts to signing Edson Álvarez and clarifies his availability for tomorrow's tie 🗣️#TalkingPoint with @LycamobileUK pic.twitter.com/HPVwKTDtyv
— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 11, 2023
The in-demand Paqueta will start in the centre of the park alongside Tomas Soucek and Flynn Downes. Despite the departure of Rice, this looks like a formidable trio, and they might end up dominating the ball for the majority of the match.
In attack, Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma will start out wide. They will look to stretch the opposition’s defence and link up with their number nine Michail Antonio.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Fabianski; Coufal, Zouma, Ogbonna, Emerson; Paqueta, Soucek, Downes; Bowen, Antonio, Benrahma
Key Stats
- West Ham United have won eight out of the last 17 matches against Bournemouth.
- Under David Moyes, the Hammers haven’t lost to the Cherries in the Premier League. They have been unbeaten in all four matches.
- West Ham have scored in both halves of their last four Premier League meetings against Bournemouth.
- The Cherries have started their league campaign with a home game in each of the last six seasons but they have only won of those fixtures. Their only win came last season against Aston Villa.
- Bournemouth have lost each of their last three fixtures against West Ham.
Player to Watch
Said Benrahma
The 28-year-old winger joined West Ham United back in the summer of 2020. He has since featured in a total of 133 matches and has contributed towards 42 goals. While those are decent numbers, he hasn’t had the kind of impact that was expected.
The former Brentford winger will look to take his game to the next level in the 2023/24 season after contributing towards just nine goals last season in the Premier League. He is exceptional with the ball and has the ability to decide games on his own. As a result, he could be the man for the Hammers.
Prediction
Bournemouth 1-2 West Ham United
The match is going to be a closely contested affair and there might not be much to separate the two teams. However, David Moyes might have the edge on the opening matchday of the 2023/24 Premier League season.
It might take Andoni Iraola some time to get his idea across to the team and adjust to the pace of the English top flight. While he has a decent squad at his disposal, they might not be able to deal with the threat of the Hammers going forward. As a result, The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the visitors in this fixture.
