The Vitality Stadium will play host to an intriguing FA Cup fifth-round affair on Tuesday evening, as Premier League side Bournemouth welcome Championship leaders Leicester City.
Bournemouth will enter the contest off the back of a 1-0 home defeat to the champions Manchester City, while Leicester suffered a 3-1 loss to Leeds United in a top-of-the-table clash last time out.
Match preview
© Reuters
Bournemouth have had to win two matches to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup, opening their challenge with a 3-2 success over Queens Park Rangers on January 6, before thumping Swansea City 5-0 last time out.
This will be a step-up in class for the Cherries in the competition, though, and they will enter the match off the back of a five-game winless run, including a 1-0 loss at home to Man City in the league on Saturday.
Andoni Iraola's side showed plenty of positive signs against the Citizens at the Vitality Stadium, but they could not make the most of some good opportunities, with the result leaving them down in 14th position in the Premier League table, eight points clear of the relegation zone.
Bournemouth's next three in the Premier League are actually against the bottom three - Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town - so they will be confident of claiming points in the coming weeks, but their immediate focus is on booking a spot in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
The Cherries have won each of their last three matches against Leicester, all of which have been in the Premier League, including a 2-1 success when they last locked horns at the Vitality Stadium in October 2022.
© Reuters
Leicester have not beaten Bournemouth since a 3-1 success at the King Power Stadium in August 2019, while they have not managed to overcome the Cherries at the Vitality Stadium since a Championship clash in February 2014.
This contest will actually be the first-ever FA Cup meeting between the two sides, and while Leicester are focused on securing a return to the Premier League, the Foxes know what it takes to win this competition, having famously lifted the trophy at the end of the 2020-21 campaign.
Enzo Maresca's side are currently top of the Championship table, boasting a record of 25 wins, three draws and six losses from 34 matches to collect 78 points, which has left them six points ahead of both second-placed Leeds United and third-placed Ipswich Town.
Leicester have just wobbled in the last two matches, though, losing 2-1 at home to Middlesbrough on February 17 before going down 3-1 at Leeds on Friday, and there will be pressure on them to bounce back in their next league game with QPR on March 2.
The Foxes have faced two fellow Championship sides in this season's FA Cup, beating Millwall 3-2 in the third round of the competition before recording a 3-0 victory over Birmingham last time out.
Team News
© Reuters
Bournemouth will have Philip Billing available again following a suspension, but Ryan Fredericks, Tyler Adams, James Hill, Lloyd Kelly and Max Aarons are out of the match through injury.
Head coach Iraola will make changes from the side that started against Man City in the league, with Mark Travers set to come in between the sticks, while Alex Scott, Dango Ouattara and Luis Sinisterra are all in line for spots in the first XI.
Enes Unal was bright as a late substitute against Man City and is in contention for a start, but Dominic Solanke is again expected to lead the line for the home side.
As for Leicester, Wilfred Ndidi remains out with a leg injury, while Jamie Vardy is a major doubt with the issue which forced him to miss out against Leeds in the Championship last time out.
There are also set to be big changes to the Foxes XI for this match, with head coach Maresca expected to reward those who have impressed in the competition thus far.
Jakub Stolarczyk should be given the nod between the sticks, while Dennis Praet, Conor Coady, Marc Albrighton, Callum Doyle, Ben Nelson, Brandon Cover and Yunus Akgun could all be brought into the side.
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Travers; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Cook, Christie; Dango, Scott, Sinisterra; Solanke
Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Stolarczyk; Nelson, Coady, Doyle; Cover, Choudhury, Praet, Akgun; Albrighton, Daka, Fatawu
We say: Bournemouth 2-1 Leicester City
This is a really tough match to call, as neither team are expected to be at full strength on Tuesday. It could go either way, but we have a feeling that Bournemouth's additional quality and home support will allow them to navigate their way into the quarter-finals of the competition.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
