Bournemouth will host Everton at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with both sides eager to get back to winning ways.
Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last six Premier League matches, but they have failed to win three of those ahead of the game vs Everton. The Cherries will look to turn the draws into wins now, and they will certainly fancy their chances against an inconsistent Everton side.
On the other hand, the Toffees are 16th in the Premier League table, and they are very much in the battle for survival. Sean Dyche’s men have failed to pick up a win in five of the last six Premier League matches, and they are coming into this game on the back of a defeat against Nottingham Forest at home.
Everton have a poor record against the Cherries, and they have lost four of their last six matches against them. They will look to make amends here and bounce back with a strong performance away from home. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
The home side will be without Julian Araujo due to a thigh injury, Alex Scott due to a knee injury, Luis Sinisterra due to a hamstring injury, Marcos Senesi because of a thigh injury. Meanwhile, Justin Kluivert is suspended, while Tyler Adams has a shoulder injury, Marcus Tavernier has a thigh injury, and Adam Smith misses out with a knock.
Bournemouth will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Everton, with Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal. James Hill and Milos Kerkez will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out in the final third and keep things compact defensively. Illia Zabarnyi will start alongside Dean Huijsen at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Ryan Christie will start alongside Lewis Cook in the double pivot, and they will look to help out defensively and add control to the side as well. David Brooks will start in the attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates.
Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo will start in the wide areas, and they will look to add pace and flair to the side. Finally, Evanilson will lead the line for Bournemouth vs Everton on Saturday afternoon.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Hill, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Cook, Christie; Semenyo, Brooks, Ouattara; Evanilson
Everton
Tim Iroegbunam misses out with an ankle issue, and James Garner is unavailable due to a lower back injury. Everton will shape up in a 4-4-1-1 formation vs Bournemouth, with Jordan Pickford a fixture in goal.
Nathan Patterson and Vitaliy Mykolenko will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight defensively and hit Bournemouth on the break. James Tarkowski will start alongside Jarrad Branthwaite in the central defensive pairing.
Jack Harrison and Dwight McNeil will start in the wide areas. They will look to add pace and flair to the side. Abdoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gueye will start in the middle of the park, and they will look to add defensive cover and physicality to the side. Beto will start in the hole, behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin who will lead the line for Everton vs Bournemouth on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Patterson, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Doucoure, Gueye, McNeil; Beto; Calvert-Lewin
Key Stats
- Everton have failed to score in seven of their last nine matches in the Premier League.
- Everton have lost four of the last six matches against Bournemouth.
- Everton have picked up just one win from the last six Premier League matches.
- 20 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two sides.
- Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last six Premier League matches.
Player to Watch
Antoine Semenyo
The 24-year-old Bournemouth attacker is our key player to watch out for. The Ghanaian international has been in impressive form this season, and he has five goals and two assists to his name in the Premier League.
Antoine Semenyo will look to carve out opportunities for his teammates and get on the score sheet himself. Everton can be quite vulnerable defensively, and the Bournemouth star will look to take advantage of that.
Prediction
Bournemouth 1-1 Everton
Both teams have dropped quite a few points in recent weeks, and they will be desperate to grind out a win here. They can be quite difficult to beat, and they will look to shut each other out. This is likely to be a close contest, and the two teams could end up cancelling each other out. They are likely to share the spoils in a draw.