Bournemouth will want to keep momentum and maintain their current form when they welcome an inconsistent Crystal Palace.
Andoni Iraola will want to finish the season as high as possible after a great period in which he oversaw a massive turnaround. This is considering how badly Bournemouth, who face Crystal Palace this weekend, started the season under the Spanish tactician. Still, he has firmly established the club mid-table and away from the usual relegation shenanigans.
The Spaniard has maintained or even bettered what Gary O’Neil did last season, as his shock switch to Wolves was seen as problematic earlier in the campaign. The Cherries are angling for a third consecutive win in the Premier League as they welcome Crystal Palace.
At the weekend, they left it late to find a winner, especially after Everton striker Beto had equalised late in the second half. It took a Seamus Coleman own-goal to land all three points for Iraola and his charges as they closed on the magical 40-point mark. Bournemouth’s primary aim now is to finish as high as possible with a top-half finish still in sight.
Oliver Glasner was a surprise name to succeed Roy Hodgson at the helm, and the German has since delivered mixed results from the Crystal Palace dugout. Having started his time at the Eagles with a win, loss and draw, Palace dropped another set of points away to Nottingham Forest at the weekend.
The Tricky Trees were in a more desperate need to get three points. But Jean-Philippe Mateta’s early strike needed second-half cancellation through Chris Wood. Crystal Palace may appear comfortably safe and some eight points away from 18th-placed Luton Town, but they must churn out results to ensure they survive the season., including against Bournemouth
The Eagles will enter the match-up in midweek with some eight points away from Bournemouth, as Glasner will want to close that gap and give his side the chance to finish in the top half probably. It may appear unlikely, given how the Eagles are playing, although the mathematical possibility exists.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
Andoni Iraola will contest the clash with Crystal Palace, missing at least four key stars. Ryan Fredericks, Luis Sinisterra, and Marcos Senesi are all missing from action, with Ryan Christie also set to miss out due to a knock suffered recently. He will not have time to recover from it for the Palace clash, meaning the manager may have to search for an alternative.
Chris Mepham and Illia Zabarnyi are the preferred choices in central defence, while Adam Smith and Lloyd Kelly are angling for berths in the full-back roles. Tyler Adams has been marshalling over central midfield and will have Lewis Cook as his partner.
In the attack, Dominic Solanke will lead the line for Bournemouth against Crystal Palace. Alex Scott will play in the attacking midfield role, while Antoine Semenyo will take his place on the right wing, with Dango Ouattara on the left.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neto; Smith, Zabarnyi, Mepham, Kelly; Adams, Cook; Semenyo, Scott, Ouattara; Solanke
Crystal Palace
Oliver Glasner would seriously see the long injury list and wonder about the difficulties his predecessor might have experienced this season. Sam Johnstone, Cheick Doucoure, Rob Holding, Marc Guehi, Matheus Franca, and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi are all out of contention.
Michael Olise has been making big progress to return to the side, but this clash with Bournemouth might come too soon for the winger. Without the Frenchman, Glasner has adopted a different style using wing-backs, with Eberechi Eze and Jordan Ayew playing behind Mateta.
Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell have played wide roles, while Chris Richards, Joachim Andersen, and Joel Ward all make up the back three for the Eagles. In midfield, Adam Wharton and Jefferson Lerma have formed the main partnership for Palace and shall continue there for the remainder of the season.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Ward, Andersen, Richards; Munoz, Wharton, Lerma, Mitchell; Eze, Ayew; Mateta
Key Stats
- Crystal Palace have kept a clean sheet in five of their last seven away matches against Bournemouth in all competitions.
- Crystal Palace have beaten Bournemouth in five of the last six Premier League meetings.
- Bournemouth have scored at least two goals in their last four matches in the Premier League.
- Bournemouth are eight points ahead of Crystal Palace on the table.
- Bournemouth have never finished higher than 9th in their Premier League history.
Player to Watch
Dominic Solanke
The striker has been returning to form of late and now has a big task ahead of him before the season finishes. Bournemouth will aim to finish in the top half of the table and rely on their central striker for the goals.
Solanke must take advantage of games like this against Crystal Palace and make it count in a big way. He continues to be the Cherries’ main man and will have to assert himself in games to help the team achieve their objectives this season while also giving himself the best chance for a big transfer in the summer.
Prediction
Bournemouth 2-1 Crystal Palace
Oliver Glasner has brought new ideas and made the team look different in many ways. But he has struggled to find relevant results of late. The new Crystal Palace boss will have to find a way to break teams in the Premier League and finish the season on a high note, although going away to take on Andoni Iraola’s side is difficult.
The Cherries are in good form and will look at a third consecutive league victory. They also have better understanding and relationships between the players, which Glasner still finds out at Palace. Overall, this game points towards a victory for the Cherries.