Bournemouth vs Wolves
Date: 23/02/2019
K/O: 15:00
Venue: Vitality Stadium
Referee: Roger East
Bournemouth look to reignite their winning ways by adding to their good home form when hosting a Wolves side who look to strengthen their chances of a European spot with a 7th place finish.
Bournemouth’s last two outings have seen defeats away at strugglers Cardiff and champion contenders Liverpool, but they can boast two consecutive wins at the Vitality against West Ham and Chelsea. Their last six home games in the league have seen them take four wins, a draw and one defeat to Liverpool, which will instill confidence into the Cherries that a European spot isn’t out of reach. They recently lost tenth place to the Hammers because of their inferior goal difference and Eddie Howe’s men’s shocking away form which has seen them lose their last nine away from the Vitality.
Wolves, on the other hand, have found the evasive consistency which plagued them towards the end of 2018. The new-found consistency has launched Wolves up into 7th in the table, a tremendous feat for a newly promoted side who are only one point shy of the typical survival target of 40 points. In parallel, their win at the weekend has advanced their FA Cup run which will see them face off against Manchester United in the Quarter Finals.
Alongside this, Wolves are undefeated in three of their last four league matches which included the dramatic late goals against Leicester and Newcastle, gaining the Midlands club more notoriety for this habit. Despite their position in the league and current run of good form, they only sit six points above their opposition despite the contrast in recent results between the two sides.
Team News
Eddie Howe will have some selection headaches at the weekend and whether it’s still too early for key striker Callum Wilson to return from his knee injury is questionable. The frontman has been vital in Bournemouth’s goalscoring this season, netting 10 goals and providing five assists to his teammates. His last outing was in the 2-0 home victory against West Ham. With Wilson sidelined, Joshua King put in an outstanding performance against Chelsea which placed him on eight goals for the season and he trails his striking partner by two assists.
Another doubt is the ankle injury of the promising 21-year-old midfielder David Brooks, whose performances have put him on Manchester United’s and Tottenham’s radar – the starlet went off injured while celebrating his goal against Chelsea. He, like Callum Wilson, isn’t expected back into the squad until early March. Alongside Brooks, Junior Stanislas picked up a thigh injury which has made his availability for match unknown.
Nuno Santo Espirito has had some amazing luck with injuries this season as his squad has mostly been available this Premier League season. However, Doherty limped off late in the FA Cup victory over Bristol City at the weekend casting doubts over his fitness for the weekend. He has featured in all of Wolves’ Premier League matches so far this season and has contributed to a great number of opportunities in front of goal for his teammates from right wing-back. The injury doesn’t seem to be too serious and he should be on the team sheet at the weekend.
Diogo Jota picked up a dead leg in the 1-1 draw against Newcastle and was subbed off. He didn’t feature in the FA Cup clash against Bristol but has not given any indication that he won’t be able to play on Saturday. Nuno’s injury luck continues as it seems he will have all his key players available.
The home side will likely setup where they’ve had the most success when playing without Callum Wilson partnering with Joshua King up front, with five midfielders sitting behind King taking on attacking and defensive roles. This has been less effective without Stanislas sitting behind King but one of the three central midfielders needs to provide the attacking inspiration to get the Cherries back to free goalscoring form. Wolves will setup like they have most of the season and likely with the same starting eleven as their previous outing.
Predicting Starting XIs
AFC Bournemouth (4-5-1): Boruc; Salguero, Ake, Cook, Smith; Fraser, Surman, Lerma, Gosling, Ibe; King
Wolverhampton Wanderers (3-5-2): Patricio; Bennet, Coady, Boly; Doherty, Dendoncker, Neves, Moutinho, Jonny; Jimenez, Jota
Score Prediction: AFC Bournemouth 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
AFC Bournemouth have been formidable at home this season, beating opposition swiftly and comfortably for the most part. Their difficulties on the road have prevented a good run of results forming but with their home performances standing strong they can challenge most teams. Wolves are unpredictable and have arguably outperformed in away games than at Molineux this season.
Wolves will stick to their game plan and attack at speed and attack the open spaces and down the flanks. This style may play into Bournemouth’s hands as it’ll be hard to break down the organised and tight midfield for Wolves. This in an opportunity for Bournemouth to return to winning ways and the fact Wolves have played a lot more recently than the hosts may play into their hands.
