Verdict: Home win
Best odds: 10/17
Bookmaker: BetUS
Bournemouth will face Southampton in Monday’s Premier League match at the Vitality Stadium, closing round six of the season in the English top flight.
The Cherries come into the game after being outplayed by Liverpool last weekend, while Southampton are still searching for their first win of the season. Russell Martin’s side were close to victory against Ipswich Town but were denied late on.
Bournemouth
Returning to action after missing the Chelsea game due to loan restrictions, Bournemouth goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga initially impressed at Anfield with several key saves. However, he misjudged a long ball over the top, allowing Luis Diaz to open the scoring for Liverpool, who went on to win 3-0, with Darwin Nunez adding a spectacular curler.
It was a tough outing for Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, who saw Antoine Semenyo’s early goal ruled out for a tight offside decision. Iraola also picked up his third yellow card of the season, leading to a touchline ban for Monday’s match against Southampton.
With just one win from their first five league matches this season – a remarkable comeback victory at Everton – Bournemouth sit in 13th place. They are now in danger of suffering consecutive home defeats in the Premier League for only the second time under Iraola. However, the Cherries have a strong record against newly-promoted sides, losing just one of their last 19 Premier League home games against such teams, with the lone defeat coming against Fulham in 2019.
Team News
Quite apart from coach Iraola missing from the touchline on Monday, midfielder Tyler Adams is unavailable through injury. Still, Iraola expects to have the rest of the squad at his disposal.
There may be changes in defense, with Adam Smith and Marcos Senesi, both of whom started against Chelsea but were benched for the Liverpool game, potentially returning. Interestingly, Senesi has received yellow cards in each of Bournemouth’s last five home Premier League matches.
Southampton
Southampton endured a disappointing 1-1 draw with Ipswich last weekend, which felt like a defeat for manager Russell Martin and his team. Rising talent Tyler Dibling scored early for the Saints, but Ipswich’s Sam Morsy equalized with a last-minute strike in stoppage time, leaving Southampton frustrated and still searching for their first Premier League win of the season.
Pressure is mounting on Martin after five top-flight games without a victory, with growing speculation about his future despite the team’s EFL Cup fourth-round progression following a penalty shootout win over Everton on September 17. Southampton currently sit 19th in the table, and their tally of just two goals highlights their struggles in attack, making them the lowest-scoring team in the league. They have also set a club record with 18 Premier League matches without a win.
However, Southampton will take some comfort from their strong record at Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium, where they have gone unbeaten in their last six visits, winning the most recent three without conceding.
Team News
Jack Stephens will miss the final match of his three-game suspension this weekend, and Martin has confirmed that there are no new injury concerns following the draw with Ipswich.
Gavin Bazunu (Achilles), Kamaldeen Sulemana (ankle), and Will Smallbone (hamstring) remain sidelined, although Smallbone has a slight chance of being fit for next weekend’s clash against Arsenal.
Conclusion
Despite Iraola not leading his team from the dugout, the struggles Southampton are going through after returning to the Premier League present Bournemouth with a good chance to break the unsuccessful run against the Saints at home.
Verdict: Home win
Best odds: 10/17
Bookmaker: BetUS
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