Tottenham Hotspur will take on Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, looking to pick up a comfortable victory at home.
Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways against Brighton & Hove Albion after two consecutive draws against Everton and Southampton, and they cannot afford to slip up with the top four qualification on the line, with Bournemouth up next.
Newcastle United and Manchester United are pulling clear of them in the table. So Tottenham will have to put together a winning run now. Meanwhile, Bournemouth are 15th in the league table, but they are just three points clear of the drop zone.
The Cherries will have to pick up positive results at this stage of the season or they could be dragged back into the relegation dogfight once again. Bournemouth are coming into this game on the back of an away win over Leicester City, and that will have given them some confidence boost.
It remains to be seen whether the Cherries can pull off an upset against Tottenham away from home. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
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— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 13, 2023
Team News and Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
The home side will be without a number of players heading into Saturday’s contest against Bournemouth. Cristian Stellini is bereft of the services of Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Emerson Royal, Ben Davies, and Ryan Sessegnon because of injuries.
Lucas Moura is suspended for the home side. Meanwhile, Stellini is likely to field his side in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Hugo Lloris in goal. In the back three, Cristian Romero will start along with Eric Dier and Clement Lenglet.
Pedro Porro and Ivan Perisic will start as the wing-backs here, and the two players will look to add creativity and defensive cover from the wide areas. In the middle of the park, Oliver Skipp will start along with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. They will look to dominate the proceedings in the midfield and control the tempo of the game.
Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski will be the attacking midfielders. The two players will look to drift wide from time to time and add creativity in the final third. Harry Kane will lead the line for the home side.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Lloris; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Porro, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Perisic; Kulusevski, Son; Kane
Bournemouth
The visitors are without the services of Ryan Fredericks and Junior Stanislas because of injury problems. Bournemouth are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Neto in goal.
Adam Smith and Lloyd Kelly will be deployed as the full-backs year as they will look to cover the central defenders and keep the back four organised. Jack Stephens is likely to start at the heart of the defence along with Chris Mepham.
In the middle of the park, Joe Rothwell will start along with Jefferson Lerma. The two players will look to break up the opposition attack and cover the central defence. Ryan Christie and Dango Ouattara will start as the wingers, and they will look to create counter-attacking opportunities for the visitors.
Philip Billing will start as the central attacking midfielder who will link the midfield with the attack. Dominic Solanke will leave the line for the away side.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neto; Smith, Stephens, Mepham, Kelly; Rothwell, Lerma; Christie, Billing, Ouattara; Solanke
Key Stats
- Tottenham have won their last five home matches against Bournemouth in all competitions.
- 21 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two sides.
- Tottenham have conceded at least once in five of their last six matches across all competitions.
- Harry Kane has scored seven goals in his last six matches across all competitions.
- Bournemouth have conceded 57 goals in 30 league matches this season.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
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— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 14, 2023
Harry Kane is undoubtedly our man to watch out for this weekend. The 29-year-old is in sublime form right now, having found the back of the net in each of his last six outings for the club. Kane has seven goals during the period, and he has the quality to trouble the vulnerable Bournemouth defence at home.
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Bournemouth
The home side are undoubtedly the better team here, and they will be desperate to pick up all three points. Tottenham cannot afford to drop points at this stage of the season if they want to play Champions League football next season. They must look to grind out all three points against minnows like Bournemouth.
The visitors have done reasonably well in the last few outings, but this will be a tough outing for them. Given the kind of form Harry Kane is in, Tottenham should be able to grind out all three points here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the hosts.