Bournemouth will host Burnley at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, looking to get their stuttering campaign back on track.
After an impressive start to the season, Bournemouth have come down crashing, and they are without a win in their last six Premier League matches ahead of the game vs Burnley at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.
The Cherries will look to bounce strongly, and Saturday’s clash is a golden opportunity for them to grind out a positive result at home. Meanwhile, Andoni Iraola are up against one of the worst teams in the division this weekend.
Burnley are on a six-match losing run in the Premier League, and they are completely devoid of form and confidence. Bournemouth are certainly the better team on paper, and they should be able to pick up all three points.
The hosts have drawn the last two matches in the Premier League, and it will be interesting to see if they can get the job done here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
Andoni Iraola will be without Ben Gannon-Doak (hamstring) and Tyler Adams (knee) this weekend. Additionally, Veljko Milosavljevic (knee), Matai Akinmboni (knock), and Ryan Christie (knee) remain in the treatmetn room. However, Lewis Cook is available after serving a suspension earlier this week against Manchester United.
Bournemouth will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Burnley, with Djordje Petrovic in goal. James Hill and Adrien Truffert will start as the two full-backs. They will look to keep things tight defensively and hit Burnley on the counter. Bafode Diakite will start alongside Marcos Senesi at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Alex Scott will start alongside Marcus Tavernier in the double pivot. They will look to protect the team defensively and keep things compact in the middle. Justin Kluivert will reprise the no. 10 role, and he will look to link the midfield with the attack.
Antoine Semenyo and Alex Jimenez will start on the flanks, adding goals and creativity from the wide areas. Finally, Eli Junior Kroupi will spearhead the Bournemouth attack vs Burnley on Saturday.
Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Petrovic, Hill, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert; Tavernier, Scott; Jimenez, Kluivert, Semenyo; Kroupi
Burnley
The away team will be without Zeki Amdouni (knee) and Connor Roberts (Achilles). Additionally, Jordan Beyer (hamstring) is unavailable as well. Meanwhile, Axel Tuanzebe, Lyle Foster and Hannibal Mejbri are now all at AFCON. However, there is some good news, Lucas Pires and Kyle Walker have served their suspensions.
Burnley will shape up in the 3-4-3 formation vs Bournemouth, with Martin Dubravka in goal. In the back three, Kyle Walker will start alongside Hjalmar Ekdal and Maxime Esteve.
Oliver Sonne will start alongside Quilindschy Hartman in the wing-back roles. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. As for the midfield unit, Josh Cullen will start alongside Josh Laurent in the middle of the park.
The two players will look to keep things tight in the centre of the pitch and protect the defensive unit. Armando Broja will lead the line for Burnley vs Bournemouth, with Loum Tchaouna and Jaidon Anthony on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Dubravka; Walker, Ekdal, Esteve; Sonne, Cullen, Laurent, Hartman; Tchouana, Broja, Anthony
Key Stats
- Bournemouth are without a win in the last seven Premier League matches (D3 L4), last having a longer run between May and October 2023 (13 games).
- Burnley have lost their last seven Premier League games. Defeat here would see them equal their longest ever losing run in their league history, losing eight in a row three times previously – November 1889 to February 1890 (top-flight), March-September 1895 (top-flight) and January-February 1995 (second tier).
- 17 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams. Meanwhile, Burnley have won three of their last four Premier League away games against Bournemouth, though did lose their last visit 2-1 in October 2023.
- Both teams have picked up three wins from the last six meetings between the two teams.
- Zian Flemming has scored in his last four away Premier League appearances for Burnley (5 goals), the best ever run by a Clarets player. He has ended on the losing side in his last three away games despite scoring – no player has ever scored in four away appearances in a row and lost every one.
Player to Watch
Antoine Semenyo
The Ghana International has been impressive this season, and he is certainly our key player to watch out for. He will need to step up and produce a defining performance in the final third in order for his team to grind out all three points. Bournemouth will depend on him to create opportunities in the final third and find the back of the net.
Semenyo produced an impressive performance against Manchester United in their last outing, and he will look to take advantage of defensive problems. The 25-year-old could cause all sorts of problems for the away team, and it remains to be seen whether he can make a defining impact.
Prediction
Bournemouth 3-1 Burnley
The home team will be desperate for all three points, and they will look to put up a strong performance here. Bournemouth were outstanding against Manchester United, especially going forward. Burnley have struggled defensively, and they are likely to struggle to contain the home attack here.
Bournemouth should be able to create multiple opportunities here, and they have the players to find the back of the net as well. This is likely to be a high-scoring contest, and the home side should be able to pick up a comfortable victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Andoni Iraola and his charges.