Bournemouth Vs West Ham - Sat 22th 3pm
It somehow feels we are fighting a relegation battle in November because I feel there are not many among us who feel we are too good to go down this year, as may have been the case even when skirting around the danger zone in previous seasons. So this match, as the last one, and the next one, will feel huge. We have put in two very good performances and achieved two good results after an abysmal opening few matches but I feel we are not convinced yet that we can turn this around, if we can get a result here I think that may begin to change.
Bournemouth had a good last season and took themselves from most peoples idea of relegation candidates to a top half finish, and have started this season in the same form. It will be very tough but I feel we are showing fight now and Nuno has got his selection eccentricities under control it seems and so a point is not out of the question, and who knows if lady luck is shining maybe even more. As forest and Burnley are playing Liverpool and Chelsea even a point could be enough to lift us out of the bottom three.
My prediction 1-1, and I'd happily take that.
Bournemouth had a good last season and took themselves from most peoples idea of relegation candidates to a top half finish, and have started this season in the same form. It will be very tough but I feel we are showing fight now and Nuno has got his selection eccentricities under control it seems and so a point is not out of the question, and who knows if lady luck is shining maybe even more. As forest and Burnley are playing Liverpool and Chelsea even a point could be enough to lift us out of the bottom three.
My prediction 1-1, and I'd happily take that.
Comments
They've added a few players since we beat them in Atlanta, most notably French CB Bafode Diakite, Lille £34.6m, making him their 2nd most expensive signing after Evanilson
He's started 9 this season but has been in and out of the starting line up recently with another new arrival, Serbian U21 CB Veljko Milosavljevic, Red Star £13m, coming in
They've also loaned Spanish U21 RB Alex Jimenez from AC Milan as cover for club captain Adam Smith who struggled with injury last season and has already missed 5 games.
He's certainly made an impact, picking up 4 yellow cards in his 8 appearances including on his debut when he was a 87th minute substitute against Brighton. He has actually picked up 5 yellow card this season having been booked in his single appearance for AC Milan
Evanilson was injured for a couple of weeks, in his absence French U21 CF Eli Kroupi - signed in February from Lorient but stayed on loan until the end of the season - was given a chance, scoring two against Palace and one against Forest. Evanilson was back in the starting XI against Villa
Other than that it's a familiar line up, Semenyo is top scorer with 6 and top for assists with 3.
We haven't lost to Bournemouth since we visited the Vitality Stadium in January 2019.
We lost 2-0, scorer of their first goal; Callum Wilson
Areola
Wan-Bissaka - Todibo - Kilman - Diouf
Fernandes - Magassa - Potts
Bowen - Wilson - Summerville
With Paqueta suspended, Fernandes would probably play an advanced role. Still concerned about our centre-backs and Diouf defending but I suspect NES will stick with the combination that brought two consecutive victories.
0-3 currently
Fullkrug hat trick 💥
Given our situation & upcoming games, 3 points are so important here, but I don’t see it. A draw would be fantastic but I don’t see us securing that either.
2-0 Bournemouth
Oh dear, how sad, never mind
Kluivert "hopes..can recover as soon as possible"
Scottish 20yo RW Ben Gannon-Doak (Liverpool £25m, 5 apps, 1 start) "may require surgery"
Bournemouth's options obviously limited; apart from regular starters RW David Brooks, and AMC Marcus Tavernier the only out-and-out winger currently fit is French LW Amine Adli (Leverkusen £25m, 9 apps, 2 starts)
Subs: Hermansen (GK), Walker-Peters, Mayers, Rodríguez, Magassa, Souček, Irving, Earthy, Füllkrug
Plenty to unpack. Looks like a back 3. Guilherme gets a start. No Summerville in the squad even. Fullkrug and Earthy both make the bench.
Cook(c) Diakite Senesi Truffert
Scott Adams
Brooks Tavernier Kroupi
Evanilson
No Semenyo, CM Lewis Cook preferred to RB Adam Smith or RB Alex Jimenez, Turkish CF Enes Unai in the squad for only the 2nd time this season, came off the bench and scored against us in December
And Tony Gale 😭