Bournemouth will host Wolves at the Vitality Stadium in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday, with a place in the quarter-finals on the line.
Bournemouth have lost their last two matches, and the home fans will be expecting a strong reaction from the players in the FA Cup fifth-round game vs Wolves at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday. The Cherries were beaten by Wolves last week, and it will be interesting to see if they can make amends here and avenge that defeat.
Meanwhile, Wolves are coming into this game on the back of two defeats from their last three matches, and it will be interesting to see if they can replicate their performance against Bournemouth from last week.
Wolves have an impressive record vs Bournemouth, and they are undefeated in their last five away matches against the Cherries. Both teams will look to progress through to the next round of the competition, and they will be desperate for a victory here.
Saturday’s FA Cup clash is likely to be a close contest, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
Bournemouth will be without Julian Araujo due to a thigh injury, Marcos Senesi because of a hamstring issue, Adam Smith due to a knock, Enes Unal due to a knee injury. Meanwhile, Illia Zabarnyi will miss out due to suspension. Ryan Christie picked up a knock against Brighton & Hove Albion, and he will miss out as well.
Bournemouth will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Wolves, with Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal. James Hill and Milos Kerkez will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back and help out in the attack. Lewis Cook will start alongside Dean Huijsen at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Alex Scott will start alongside Tyler Adams in the double pivot, and they will look to add creativity, composure and help out defensively. David Brooks will reprise the attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates.
Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo will start in the wide areas, and they will look to add pace and flair to the side. Finally, Dango Ouattara will lead the line for Bournemouth vs Wolves on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Hill, Cook, Huijsen, Kerkez; Tyler, Scott; Semenyo, Brooks, Kluivert; Ouattara
Wolves
Wolves will be without Yerson Mosquera, Boubacar Traore, Enso Medina, and Sasa Kalajdzic due to their respective knee injuries. Goncalo Guedes and Hwang Hee-chan will miss out with knocks as well.
Wolves are likely to shape up in a 4-4-1-1 formation vs Bournemouth, with Sam Johnstone in goal. Matt Doherty and Nelson Semedo will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back and hit Bournemouth on the break. Santiago Bueno and Craig Dawson will form the central defensive partnership.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Rayan Ait-Nouri will start in the wide areas, and they will look to protect the full-backs and help out in the attack as well. In the midfield, Joao Gomes will start alongside Andre. They will look to add control and defensive cover to the side.
Matheus Cunha will start as the attacking midfielder here, with Jorgen Larsen leading the line for Wolves vs Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Johnstone; Doherty, Bueno, Dawson, Semedo; Bellegarde, Gomes, Andre, Ait Nouri; Cunha; Larsen
Key Stats
- 12 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between Bournemouth and Wolves.
- Bournemouth have lost three of their last six matches in all competitions.
- Wolves have lost three of their last six matches in all competitions.
- Wolves are undefeated in their last five away matches vs Bournemouth across all competitions.
- Matheus Cunha has scored in his last three FA Cup appearances, with the two most recent strikes coming away from home at West Bromwic Albion in January 2024 and Blackburn Rovers last time out. The Brazilian internaitonal had more shots on target than any other player across this season’s fourth round (5), and no player attempted more shots overall (8).
Player to Watch
Matheus Cunha
The Brazilian international has been an exceptional form for Wolves this season, and he is our key player to watch out for. The 25-year-old will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates and find the back of the net as well. He has picked up 14 goals and four assists in all competitions.
Wolves will look to him to make a defining impact in the final third and help them get through to the next round of the competition. Bournemouth have been quite vulnerable defensively of late, and Cunha could punish them with his efficiency in the final third.
Prediction
Bournemouth 1-2 Wolves
Both teams will be desperate for a victory here, and this is likely to be a close contest. Neither side will want to crash out of the FA Cup this week. Bournemouth have struggled vs Wolves in their recent meetings, and this is likely to be another difficult outing for them.
Even though they are at home, the Cherries are lacking in form and confidence right now. Wolves, on the other hand, have produced impressive performances in recent weeks, and they will fancy their chances of getting a good result here.
This is likely to be an open contest with a fair few chances for either side. However, Wolves have more cutting edge in the final third, and they should be able to grind out a narrow victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Vitor Pereira and his charges.
