Two South Coast outfits collide in Monday's Premier League offering, as Bournemouth welcome winless Southampton to the Vitality Stadium.
The Cherries were no match for Arne Slot's Liverpool machine last weekend, while Russell Martin's men were cruelly denied their first victory of the top-flight campaign by Ipswich Town.
Match preview
© Imago
Returning in between the sticks after being ineligible for the loss to parent club Chelsea, on-loan Cherries goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga initially earned his keep at Anfield with a string of fine saves to keep Liverpool at bay, before making the wrong decision to rush off his line to meet a long ball over the top.
The Spaniard's mistake allowed the electric Luis Diaz to score the first of his two goals on the day, before a sensational Darwin Nunez curler put the cherry on top against the Cherries for Liverpool, who roared to a 3-0 win over Andoni Iraola's troops.
In what was a highly forgettable experience for the Bournemouth boss, he saw Antoine Semenyo's early goal disallowed for a marginal offside before picking up his third yellow card of the season in the wake of the Diaz goal, one that means he will serve a touchline ban on Monday evening.
Only boasting one win from their opening five league engagements of 2024-25 - that astonishing comeback success at Everton - the hosts reside in the unlucky 13th place in the standings and are now at risk of losing back-to-back PL home games for just the second time in Iraola's tenure.
However, the Cherries are well-versed in avoiding defeat against newly-promoted clubs, only losing one of their last 19 such home games in the Premier League - while winning 11 and drawing seven - which came all the way back in 2019 against Fulham.
© Imago
While upcoming opponents Southampton did not share the same fate as Bournemouth last weekend, the Saints' 1-1 stalemate with Ipswich had the feel of a crushing defeat for Russell Martin and co, who were mere seconds away from finally posting their first top-flight win of the season.
Rising star Tyler Dibling needed just five minutes to break the deadlock against the Tractor Boys, but with five minutes of second-half injury time played, Ipswich lynchpin Sam Morsy produced a last-gasp rocket to leave the St Mary's faithful crestfallen.
The pressure could hardly be weighing heavier on the shoulders of Martin after a fifth top-flight game without a win, with talk of the sack growing louder and louder, in spite of the Saints' progression to the EFL Cup fourth round with a penalty-shootout success over Everton on September 17.
Languishing below the dotted line in 19th place, Southampton's measly tally of two goals means that Martin's men are the least potent attacking force in the division, and the visitors have already set a new unwanted club record of 18 Premier League games without victory.
However, the Vitality Stadium has been a happy hunting ground for Southampton in recent years, as they have gone unbeaten on their last six trips to Bournemouth's headquarters since a 2-0 loss in March 2016, winning each of their last three without conceding a single goal.
- D
- D
- W
- L
- L
Team News
© Imago
Bournemouth are set to be working without one coach and one player for the visit of Southampton, as the suspended Iraola confirmed in his pre-game press conference that Tyler Adams (back) should be the hosts' only absentee through injury.
Iraola admitted that it was difficult to give a full assessment of his squad's fitness levels with three days to go before the game, but he expects to have a clean bill of health barring Adams and may look to switch up his defence once more.
Adam Smith and Marcos Senesi - who started the narrow loss to Chelsea before being dropped at Anfield - are candidates to return, although the latter has been yellow-carded in each of the Cherries' last five Premier League home matches.
As for the Saints, defensive stalwart Jack Stephens will serve the third and final game of his three-match suspension this weekend, and Martin has confirmed that it is as you were from the Ipswich defeat regarding injuries.
Gavin Bazunu (Achilles), Kamaldeen Sulemana (ankle) and Will Smallbone (hamstring) will therefore remain absent, although the latter is in with a slim chance of returning for the Arsenal showdown next weekend.
Still yet to experience that winning feeling in the Premier League, Ben Brereton Diaz could go without a victory in his first 20 games in the competition should the Saints not produce the goods here; his current streak of 19 is already a tournament record.
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Cook, Christie; Semenyo, Kluivert, Tavernier; Unal
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Ramsdale; Sugawara, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Taylor; Lallana, Downes; Dibling, Fernandes, Fraser; Archer
We say: Bournemouth 2-1 Southampton
The away side has prevailed in each of the last five meetings between Bournemouth and Southampton across all that tournaments, but Monday's visitors are still lacking that X-factor up front and have conceded in each of their last 17 Premier League games.
Even without Iraola barking orders from the touchline, an attack-minded Cherries outfit should capitalise on the Saints' woes to earn the South Coast bragging rights, potentially hammering another nail into Martin's coffin in the process.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
