Brighton & Hove Albion will look to end their five-match winless run when they hit the road to square up against Bournemouth.
Vitality Stadium is all set to play host to the game between 10th-placed Bournemouth and 11th-placed Brighton. Both teams have done a decent job so far this season and are looking to secure the highest possible finish in the league with a few games to go.
Bournemouth have accumulated 45 points in their 34 games with 12 wins and nine draws. They have suffered a total of 13 defeats so far this season. After failing to win in their last three games, they did manage to secure a win in their last outing.
The Cherries managed to get the better of Wolves with the scoreline of 1-0. Despite only having a limited amount of the ball, they created more chances and scored the only goal of the game in the first half. While Milos Kerkez was sent off in the 79th minute, they still managed to hold off the opposition.
Meanwhile, Brighton have accumulated 44 points in their 33 outings. They have won 11, drawn 11 and lost 11 games this term. The Seagulls might have failed to reach the levels they did last season but they have still done a decent job.
But, their recent form has been a cause of concern as they have failed to win any of their last five games. They are heading into this one on the back of a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City and will have to put up a much better fight to ensure they end their disappointing run.
The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
The home team will be without the services of seven first-team players. Ryan Fredericks, Tyler Adams, Chris Mepham, Romain Favre, Luis Sinisterra and Marcus Tavernier are out injured. Meanwhile, Milos Kerkez was sent off for a two-footed lunge in their last outing and is suspended for three games.
Bournemouth will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation where Mark Travers will be in goal. Adam Smith and Lloyd Kelly will be the full-backs while Illia Zabarnyi and Marcos Senesi will feature in the heart of the defence.
Ryan Christie and Lewis Cook will form the double pivot in the centre of the park. Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert will feature on the flanks. They will look to provide width to their attacks.
Alex Scott will feature as the attacking midfielder behind Dominic Solanke who will be leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Travers; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kelly; Christie, Cook; Semenyo, Scott, Kluivert; Solanke
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton are also dealing with an injury crisis of their own, they will be without eight players for this away fixture. Pervis Estupinan and Evan Ferguson have been ruled out from the remainder of the season after having picked an injury in the recent past.
They have joined Kaoru Mitoma, Billy Gilmour, Jack Hinshelwood, James Milner, Solly March and Tariq Lamptey on the sidelines who are already nursing injuries.
The visitors will also line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Bart Verbruggen in goal. Joel Veltman and Valentín Barco will be the full-backs while Jan Paul van Hecke will start alongside Lewis Dunk in the heart of the defence.
Pascal Gross and Carlos Baleba will form the double pivot in the centre of the park while Julio Enciso will take charge as the attacking midfielder.
Simon Adingra will feature on the right flank while Ansu Fati will take charge on the left. Meanwhile, Danny Welbeck will be leading the line for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, Hecke, Dunk, Barco; Gross, Baleba; Adingra, Enciso, Fati; Welbeck
Key Stats
- Bournemouth have lost their last three league games against Brighton
- The corresponding fixture last season saw Brighton emerge victorious by a scoreline of 2-0.
- The Cherries have lost 67.5% of their Premier League games that have been played on a Sunday.
- Brighton have been winless in their last five league outings, losing three of those fixture.
- Bournemouth have been unbeaten in their last five league games at home.
Player to Watch
Simon Adingra
Following an impressive loan spell at Belgian club Union SG, Adingra has managed to break into Brighton’s first team this season and he has put in some impressive performances throughout the course of the ongoing season.
He has featured in 26 Premier League games for the Seagulls and has managed to rack up over 1,800 minutes. The 22-year-old winger has contributed towards seven goals (six goals & an assist) and will be eager to add to his tally when he takes the field against Bournemouth.
Prediction
Bournemouth 1-2 Brighton
Brighton’s recent form has been a major cause of concern, they have been winless in their last five league outings and are eager to return to winning ways while Bournemouth are heading into this fixture on the back of a win after having dropped points on their last three outings.
Both teams haven’t been at their best in the recent past and it won’t be easy for either of them to come out on top here. But, the Seagulls might just manage to claim all three points in this away fixture. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Brighton.