Bournemouth vs Tottenham Hotspur
English Premier League.
Date: Saturday, 22nd October, 2016,
Kick-off at 12:30 UK
Venue: Dean Court, Bournemouth.
This is shaping up to be one of the best fixtures for the neutral as both sides play an attractive brand of football and will be looking to get a positive result at the Vitality Stadium. The pressure will be on the away side, as Tottenham have been talked up as title candidates and are coming into the match after successive draws. Meanwhile, Bournemouth are full of confidence after a dominant victory over Hull City.
Eddie Howe’s men were expected to struggle this season and a slow start suggested that they could suffer from second season syndrome. However, the signing of Jack Wilshere on loan provided the squad with a boost and they are slowly finding their feet in the new season. They will be hoping to steer clear of the relegation battle and their performances over the last few weeks suggest that they should do so with relative comfort.
Tottenham are the only unbeaten side in the Premier League this season and they will be keen to maintain that record this weekend. They will be missing two key players in Toby Alderweireld and Harry Kane, which will test the strength of the players beneath the first team. After two draws in the last week, it will be a test of the side’s mettle as they attempt to show their title credentials.
Recent form
Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last three matches which has allowed them to climb into mid-table. They have only lost one of their home matches this season and that was against Manchester United. The Cherries have improved since that match and won’t roll over for Tottenham. Everton travelled to the South Coast before the international break in good form, but didn’t manage to take anything from the game and Tottenham could have similar problems.
As stated above, Tottenham haven’t lost in the league this season, but they didn’t play well against West Brom and that will give Bournemouth confidence. They have taken an impressive 13 points from a possible 15 in their last five matches and a win this weekend could see them rise to the top of the table.
Predicted line-ups
Harry Arter is likely to be missing after picking up an injury in the week, which could mean that Dan Gosling will come into the starting eleven. The midfielder came on last weekend and scored the final goal for the Cherries. That is the only change I’d expect from the team that beat Hull.
Kevin Wimmer is set to make his first Premier League start of the season in the absence of Toby Alderweireld. Vincent Janssen could be given another chance to break his Premier League duck, while Mousa Dembele could start ahead of Moussa Sissoko.
Bournemouth vs Tottenham: Head-to-Head Stats
Tottenham earned two big victories when they met Bournemouth for Premier League fixtures last season. The first ever competitive meeting at Dean Court saw the Spurs winning by 5 goals to 1, which is against complemented by some attacking football that earned them a 3-0 win back home in the return leg. Harry Kane alone scored 5 of those 8 goals scored by Spurs in two fixtures.
The teams also met in two friendlies at Bournemouth on 2010 and 2009 and Spurs won both without conceding by 4-0 and 3-0 respectively.
Bournemouth vs Tottenham: Prediction
The form and momentum is by the side of Bournemouth. But their record this season against elite English clubs is a disappointing one. They lost three matches this season and 2 of them have come against Manchester Clubs by heavy margin. They did met a London based club in West Ham, a fixture they also lost.
Tottenham are in excellent for this season despite their occasional trouble in front of goal. This is well complimented by their disciplined defence who has conceded fewer goals (4) than any other team in the league so far. There is no doubt that the away side will clinch this fixture comfortably with goals coming from the talented midfield.
Bournemouth vs Tottenham: Betting Tips
Tottenham to win at 1.95 (19/20)
Over 2.5 goals at 1.80 (4/5).
