Winless Bournemouth will look for their first win in the ongoing Premier League season when they host 14th-placed Wolves.
Wolves will hit the road to square up against a winless Bournemouth outfit in search of their third win of the season. The visitors might not be in red-hot form, but they did defeat Manchester City before the international break and will be confident of putting up such a performance once again. Meanwhile, the home team will be eager to end their winless run and register their first win.
The Cherries have featured in eight league games so far and have only managed to rack up three points thanks to their three draws. They have already suffered five defeats in the season and are 19th on the points table above Sheffield United, who have one draw in eight outings.
The home team have lost their last three outings in the league. They have conceded ten goals in those three outings but have found the back of the net just once. Their last outing was a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Everton, and they will be a bit cautious heading into this fixture against Wolves,
The visitors had a terrible start to the new season, but they have managed to bring things back in control. Wolves are currently 14th on the points table with eight points in as many outings. Five of those points have come in their last three outings thanks to a win and two draws.
They have been unbeaten in their last three fixtures in the league, having won one of them. Their win came against defending champions Manchester City. It was a hard-fought effort that saw them come out on top. But, post that, they played out a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa and will be eager to return to winning ways.
While Wolves are in a much better position on the points table, there is not much between the two teams. And, this could be a closely fought encounter between the two teams. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the two teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
The home team will be without the services of Tyler Adams, Alex Scott, Ryan Fredericks and Emiliano Marcondes. Meanwhile, the availability of Lloyd Kelly and Chris Mepham is still a doubt. Philip Billing, who sustained a minor injury earlier this month, is expected to be back in the mix.
That #FridayFeeling when we're back at home tomorrow! 😁 pic.twitter.com/Y5CziuIaE7
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) October 20, 2023
Bournemouth will go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Neto will be in goal. Max Aarons and Milos Kerkez will start out wide as the full-backs. They will have the support of Illia Zabarnyi and Marcos Senesi, who will feature in the heart of the defence.
Meanwhile, the Cherries will have a double pivot in the centre of the park, where Joe Rothwell will pair up with Lewis Cook. The duo will look to have the majority of the ball, and they will try to dictate the pace of this fixture.
Billing will feature as the attacking midfielder. He will have the support of Marcus Tavernier and Luis Sinisterra who will start out wide on both flanks as the wingers. Meanwhile, Dominic Solanke will be leading the line for the home team.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neto; Aarons, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Cook, Rothwell; Tavernier, Billing, Sinisterra; Solanke
Wolves
The visitors will be without the services of Hugo Bueno because of a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Mario Lemina will also miss this outing because of being sent off in their last outing against Aston Villa.
1, 2, 3, JOSE SA!
😂 @pedrolneto7 pic.twitter.com/WCPZv4bgvF
— Wolves (@Wolves) October 20, 2023
Apart from the duo, Gary O’Neil has a fully-fit squad and is expected to stick to the 3-4-3 formation, where Jose Sa will be in goal. The back three will be made up of Toti Gomes, Max Kilman and Craig Dawson. The trio have been doing a great job of late, and they will look to put up a similar performance.
Matt Doherty will feature out wide on the right, while Rayan Aït-Nouri will start on the left flank. The duo will feature as wing-backs, they will look to provide the back three with the much-needed support and will also look to join the attack.
Joao Gomes will pair up with Jean-Ricner Bellegarde in the centre of the park. The duo will feature as central midfielders and they will look to dictate the pace of this game. Pedro Neto will be the left winger while Hwang Hee-chan will take care of things on the right. And, Matheus Cunha will feature in a more central role.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Sa; Kilman, Dawson, Toti; Doherty, Gomes, Bellegarde, Ait-Nouri; Neto, Cunha, Hwang
Key Stats
- In the last 17 meetings between Bournemouth and Wolves, the Cherries have won seven times while the visitors have six wins to their name.
- Bournemouth have lost their last three league outings and they have conceded a total of 10 goals in those outings.
- The home team have not won a single league game so far this season.
- Wolves have only won one out of their last five away games in all competitions.
- Bournemouth’s last league win came back in April last season against Leeds United.
Player to Watch
Matheus Cunha
Cunha has got off to a decent start in the new season. He has featured in all of their Premier League games so far and has contributed towards two goals. The 24-year-old might not be scoring goals for fun, but he has been putting in an impressive shift of late.
The Brazil international will look to add to his tally when he takes the field against Bournemouth. Cunha has all the skills in the world to make the difference in this encounter, and he could end up being the difference between the two teams.
Prediction
Bournemouth 1-2 Wolves
Bournemouth have had a horror run in the 2023/24 season so far. They have not won even once in their eight league outings, and the story might continue against Wolves. While Wolves themselves are not in the best of forms, they recently defeated Manchester City and will surely be confident about getting the right result here.
It is going to be a closely fought encounter between two teams from the bottom half of the table. But, given the quality of the Wolves squad, The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
