Bournemouth play host to Watford in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon needing to avoid defeat to remain ahead of the Hornets in the standings.
The Hornets make the trip to the Vitality Stadium knowing that victory will move them outside of the relegation zone for the first time this season.
Match preview
© Reuters
After a run of eight defeats from 10 Premier League fixtures, a home FA Cup tie against Luton Town came at the right time for Bournemouth, who ultimately ran out 4-0 victors against the struggling Championship outfit.
However, while Eddie Howe will take the positives from that occasion, especially witnessing Dominic Solanke net his first goal for the club since joining a year ago, there will be an acknowledgement that they are now faced with arguably their most important match of the season.
Their recent abysmal run has led to the Cherries dropping into the relegation zone at a time when Sunday's opponents have turned around their own form after previously sitting adrift at the bottom of the standings.
While Howe continues to be tipped to eventually move to a bigger club, this represents the most significant test of his managerial career with Bournemouth facing a battle to retain their Premier League status.
The result at the weekend will not necessarily prove pivotal in the long run but with Norwich City, Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa to come in the games which follow, Howe is aware that maximum points against Watford would put his players in an improved frame of mind ahead of those fixtures.
As far as the visitors are concerned, Nigel Pearson encountered the first blip of his short reign last weekend as his side blew a three-goal advantage against Tranmere Rovers in the FA Cup.
However, despite the natural disappointment, Pearson will likely view it as a learning experience for some of the younger players which were given an opportunity, while it would have backed up his own opinion over his first-choice side at Vicarage Road.
The players in question have contributed to 10 points being recorded from four top-flight outings - a return which appeared unrealistic when Pearson replaced Quique Sanchez Flores at the back end of last year.
Pearson will now demand that his players make the next push in their quest for survival, with three points being enough to move the club past Bournemouth and Villa ahead of the latter's showdown with Manchester City later on Sunday afternoon.
Bournemouth Premier League form: LWLDLL
Bournemouth form (all competitions): WLDLLW
Watford Premier League form: DLWDWW
Watford (all competitions): LWDWWD
Team News
© Reuters
After they each ended their prolonged goalless streaks last weekend, Solanke and Callum Wilson could be given the nod in attack.
Howe still has as many as eight first-team players on the sidelines, but the likes of Aaron Ramsdale and Steve Cook will return after being rested last weekend.
Watford are able to call upon Adrian Mariappa after suspension, although Christian Kabasele continues to serve a ban for his dismissal against Wolverhampton Wanderers on New Year's Day.
Roberto Pereyra is available after Watford successfully overturned the red card which he received against Tranmere last weekend.
With Kiko Femenia out with a hamstring injury, Adam Masina is expected to play at left-back.
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Ramsdale; Francis, Cook, Mepham, Rico; H.Wilson, Gosling, Billing, Fraser; Solanke, C.Wilson
Watford possible starting lineup:
Foster; Dawson, Mariappa, Cathcart, Masina; Chalobah, Capoue; Sarr, Doucoure, Deulofeu; Deeney
We say: Bournemouth 1-2 Watford
Given their recent poor form, Bournemouth arguably need victory more than their opponents who sit below them in the table. However, we feel that Watford have the momentum heading into this contest, a factor which could make all of the difference.
Darren Plant
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a win with a probability of 45.46%. A win for had a probability of 29.26% and a draw had a probability of 25.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.16%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.2%) and 2-0 (7.8%). The likeliest win was 0-1 (7.82%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.99%).
