Bournemouth will host Luton Town at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday evening, looking to get back to winning ways.
Bournemouth have picked up just one win from their last six league matches, and they will be under pressure to return things around when they welcome Luton Town to the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The Cherries are 13th in the league table, and a win here could take them close to the top half of the table. Meanwhile, Luton Town are 18th in the standings with four defeats from the last five league matches. The away side are going through a disastrous form, and they are completely lacking in confidence and form.
Luton Town cannot afford to keep dropping points if they want to preserve their status as a top-flight club next season, and they will be desperate for points here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
The Cherries will be without Ryan Fredericks because of a calf injury, Marcos Senesi because of a thigh injury. Lloyd Kelly misses out due to a groin injury and Max Aarons is nursing a thigh injury.
Bournemouth will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Neto in goal. Adam Smith and Milos Kerkez will be deployed as the full-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. At the heart of the defence, Illia Zabarnyi will start alongside Chris Mepham.
In the midfield pivot, Ryan Christie will start alongside Lewis Cook. The two players will look to protect the central defenders and break up opposition attacks. Justin Kluivert will start as the attacking midfielder here, and he will link up with striker Dominic Solanke to open up the Luton defence. Antoine Semenyo and Marcus Tavernier will start in the wide areas.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neto; Smith, Zabarnyi, Mepham, Kerkez; Christie, Cook; Semenyo, Kluivert, Tavernier; Solanke
Luton Town
The visitors will be without Tom Lockyer because of his heart issue and Marvelous Nakamba due to a knee injury. Amari’i Bell and Elijah Adebayo will miss out through thigh injuries, Mads Andersen has a calf injury. Meanwhile, Jacob Brown and Albert Sambi Lokonga are long-term problems with knee and thigh injuries, respectively.
Luton Town are likely to shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Thomas Kaminski in goal. In the back three, Reece Burke will start alongside Gabriel Osho and Alfie Doughty. Issa Kabore and Chiedozie Ogbene are likely to be deployed as the wing-backs, and they will look to help out in the defence and join the counter attack as well.
Jordan Clark will start alongside Ross Barkley in the middle of the park. The two players will look to help out defensively and control the game from the middle. Andros Townsend and Carlton Morris will start as the attacking midfielders, and they will look to drift into the wide areas as well. Finally, Cauley Woodrow will lead the line for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Kaminski; Burke, Osho, Doughty; Kabore, Clark, Barkley, Ogbene; Townsend, Morris; Woodrow
Key Stats
- Bournemouth are on a run of just one win in nine league fixtures (D4 L4).
- Since the start of last season, Bournemouth are unbeaten in all eight of their league matches against promoted sides (W5 D3).
- Luton have only taken two points from their last six games.
- Luton are on a club top-flight record streak of scoring in 15 consecutive matches.
- Luton have lost only one of the past six league encounters (W2 D3) with the Cherries.
Player to Watch
Dominic Solanke
The 26-year-old Bournemouth striker has 14 goals in the league, and he will look to continue his impressive run of form and get on the scoresheet here. Luton Town have been quite vulnerable defensively, and Solanke should be able to punish them with his clinical presence.
The Bournemouth striker has failed to get on the score sheet in his last few outings and missed a penalty last weekend against Sheffield United. So, this is a golden opportunity for him to bounce back strongly and take advantage of the team’s defensive vulnerabilities.
Prediction
Bournemouth 2-1 Luton Town
Both teams are quite equally matched on current form. But Bournemouth have been far better overall, and they should be able to grind out a win here at home. The home fans will demand the strong performance from the players, and the Cherries should be able to edge this one.
Luton Town are completely devoid of confidence and form right now, and their misery is likely to continue. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Andoni Iraola and his charges, with the visitors giving the Cherries a run for their money.
