Both Bournemouth and West Ham United will be looking to build on impressive Premier League wins last time out when they lock horns at the Vitality Stadium this weekend.
The Cherries recorded a 3-1 victory away to Southampton in the league on September 20, before West Ham beat Manchester United 2-0 at the London Stadium to occupy fifth spot in the table.
Match preview
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Three wins, one draw and two defeats - that is how Bournemouth have performed in the Premier League this season. A total of 10 points has left them in sixth position, just one point and one position behind their opponents on Saturday afternoon.
Bournemouth started their 2019-20 Premier League season with a modest draw at home to Sheffield United, before winning 2-1 at Aston Villa on August 17. Back-to-back defeats to Manchester City and Leicester City followed, but Eddie Howe's side have won their last two against Everton and Southampton.
The Cherries have failed to progress to the fourth round of the EFL Cup, however, following a 2-0 loss at Burton Albion on Wednesday night. Howe - as expected - rung the changes at the Pirelli Stadium, and the home side were too strong.
Goals have not been a problem for Howe's side this season - only Man City, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea have scored more in the league - but they have shipped 10 down the other end, which is the joint-fifth worst record in the Premier League heading into the next set of matches.
Bournemouth will host West Ham before travelling to Arsenal in their first game of October, and it will be fascinating to see how the team develops over the next couple of months as there have been plenty of promising signs in the early weeks of the campaign.
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Like Bournemouth, West Ham were also in EFL Cup action on Wednesday night, and the Hammers incredibly suffered a 4-0 defeat at Oxford United to exit the competition. Head coach Manuel Pellegrini made changes following the win over Man United, but it was a desperately poor performance.
That said, the team are unbeaten in the league since the opening weekend of the season. Indeed, Pellegrini's side suffered a 5-0 home loss to Man City on August 10 but have not looked back since. A 1-1 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion followed the City defeat, before beating Watford and Norwich City in the league either side of an EFL Cup victory at Newport County.
The Hammers picked up a point at Aston Villa in their fifth league game of the season on September 16, before recording a hugely impressive 2-0 win over Man United on Sunday afternoon.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side were hugely disappointing at the London Stadium, but the home side deserve huge credit for exploiting their opponent's problems. As a result, West Ham are fifth in the table on 11 points – two points off second-placed Man City, which is an indication of their impressive start.
It remains to be seen whether Pellegrini's side are capable of pushing for a European finish this season, but the club have some very winnable matches ahead. Bournemouth, though, will be thinking the same ahead of this weekend's clash at the Vitality Stadium.
Bournemouth form: DWLLWW
West Ham form: LDWWDW
Team News
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Bournemouth boss Howe rung the changes for the EFL Cup clash with Burton Albion, but all of the big guns are expected to return to the XI this weekend.
It would not be a surprise to see the same team that started against Southampton sent onto the field, although Ryan Fraser and Lewis Cook will both be pushing for spots.
Callum Wilson and Joshua King are certainties to start in the final third, while the likes of Nathan Ake, Steve Cook and Jefferson Lerma should also return to the side.
David Brooks remains on the sidelines following ankle surgery, though, while Junior Stanislas and Charlie Daniels are also long-term absentees with knee injuries.
As for West Ham, Michail Antonio, Ryan Fredericks, Manuel Lanzini and Winston Reid are all unavailable for selection.
Pellegrini shuffled his pack for the EFL Cup clash with Oxford, but the Chilean will recall the likes of Declan Rice, Mark Noble, Sebastien Haller and Felipe Anderson for the clash on the south coast.
It would not be a surprise to see the bulk of the team that featured against United start once again, although there will need to be an alteration at right-back due to Fredericks's absence.
Bournemouth possible starting lineup: Ramsdale; Stacey, Cook, Ake, Rico; Lerma, Billing; Fraser, H Wilson, King; C Wilson
West Ham possible starting lineup: Fabianski; Zabaleta, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Anderson, Fornals, Rice, Noble, Yarmolenko; Haller
We say: Bournemouth 2-2 West Ham
West Ham have only won two of their seven Premier League meetings with Bournemouth, who have been victorious in the last two. Both teams will be full of confidence heading into the clash at the Vitality Stadium, and we are therefore finding it difficult to separate them.
Matt Law
