A place in the FA Cup fifth round will be on the line when Bournemouth and Swansea City lock horns at the Vitality Stadium on Thursday.
The FA Cup is back this week with the fourth round of the 2023/24 edition. Like the previous stage, the action gets underway on a Thursday, with Bournemouth welcoming Swansea City to the Vitality Stadium.
Bournemouth reached the FA Cup fourth round by beating Queens Park Rangers in the previous stage, coming from two goals down to clinch a 3-2 win. But that is their only victory in their last three outings, with the Cherries suffering a defeat in successive Premier League games. That said, no one can fault them for going down to Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
On the other hand, Swansea City beat Morecambe 2-0 in the fourth round to reach the latest stage in the 2023/24 FA Cup. But like Bournemouth, the visitors come into Thursday’s fixture on the back of a defeat this past weekend, with Southampton easing to a 3-1 victory on Saturday. That result dropped them to 16th in the EFL Championship.
Bournemouth and Swansea City have already locked horns once this season, with the Cherries coming from a goal down to clinch a 3-2 win in the EFL Cup second round. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
Andoni Iraola has received a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Swansea City on Thursday, the Bournemouth manager will be bereft of the services of nine first-team players.
Marcos Senesi is available after serving a Premier League suspension this past weekend against Liverpool. The Argentine defender should return to the starting eleven, joining Illia Zabarnyi, James Hill, and Lloyd Kelly in the backline.
Meanwhile, Darren Randolph (illness), Max Aarons (thigh), Ryan Fredericks (calf), Milos Kerkez (ankle), Adam Smith (knock), Hamed Traore (illness), and Tyler Adams (hamstring) remain in the treatment room. In addition, Antoine Semenyo and Dango Ouattara are at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Iraola should rotate his troops amid the quick turnaround of games. In addition, an outing against a lower-league opponent is cause for rotation. So, Mark Travers should replace Neto between the sticks, with Bournemouth lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Swansea City.
As for the midfield unit, Alex Scott will have a chance to impress when he pairs up with Lewis Cook in the double pivot. David Brooks and Luis Sinisterra should be the two wide attackers, with Philip Billing reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Kieffer Moore will spearhead the Bournemouth attack against Swansea City.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Travers; Hill, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kelly; Scott, Cook; Brooks, Billing, Sinisterra; Moore
Swansea City
Like his counterpart in the Bournemouth dugout, Luke Williams does not have any new issues hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to the Vitality Stadium. The Swansea City manager should be without six first-team players on Thursday.
Liam Walsh (calf), Josh Key (hamstring), Josh Ginnelly (muscle injury), and Azeem Abdulai (thigh) remain on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Ben Cabango is close to returning from an ankle injury. But Thursday’s game might have come too soon for him.
Swansea City should line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation against Bournemouth, with Carl Rushworth taking his spot between the sticks. Harry Darling, Nathan Wood, and Bashir Humphreys should form the central defensive partnership. Harrison Ashby and Josh Tymon will likely feature as the wing-backs, with the duo providing the width in the final third.
As for the midfield unit, Charlie Patino and captain Matt Grimes will pair up in the double pivot. The duo will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Jamie Paterson and Liam Cullen will play behind Jamal Lowe, although the trio will form a fluid trifecta in the final third.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Rushworth; Darling, Wood, Humphreys; Ashby, Patino, Grimes, Tymon; Paterson, Cullen; Lowe
Key Stats
- The only previous FA Cup meeting between Bournemouth and Swansea City was in November 2000, with the Cherries running out 2-0 winners.
- Swansea City are without a win in 12 meetings with Bournemouth in all competitions (D4 L8). They have already lost to the Cherries this season, going down 3-2 in the EFL Cup second round.
Player to Watch
Charlie Patino
Many players will come under the spotlight on Thursday, with Bournemouth serving up an array of prospects. But with Dominic Solanke likely starting on the bench, the focus turns to a Swansea City player. We are talking about Charlie Patino.
The English midfield prospect has struggled to establish a foothold in the Arsenal first team since making his debut as a teenager. But Patino has been a solid performer for Swansea City this season. His progress has also attracted interest from many high-profile clubs. But the 20-year-old might be pining for success at Arsenal, and a match-winning performance here will go a long way.
Prediction
Bournemouth 2-1 Swansea City
Swansea City will feel Thursday provides them an excellent chance to end the long winless run against Bournemouth. The home side will likely bear a much-changed look, especially with games coming thick and fast in the coming week. So, the visitors will fancy their chances of springing up a surprise.
But with the hosts having incredible quality on the bench, the gulf in quality will prove telling in the end. Bournemouth will thus become the first team to ever eliminate Swansea City from both cup competitions in the same season. The Hard Tackle predicts Andoni Iraola and his charges to clinch a 2-1 victory to reach the fifth round.
