MY ACCOUNT
– Manchester City only team to win a league game at Bournemouth in 2023
– Fulham have lost their last three games, conceding three goals each time
– Recommended bet: Bournemouth to win
Bournemouth have been difficult to beat at home this season and Fulham, who are without main striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, could be the latest team to struggle at the Vitality Stadium.
Fulham’s European push has stalled in recent weeks while Bournemouth’s battle against relegation has found new life, making Saturday’s meeting a crucial clash for both teams.
Gary O’Neil’s Cherries know they must win their home games against out-of-form visitors to maintain their survival bid and a record of just one defeat in four home league matches this year — including victory over Liverpool last time out at the Vitality Stadium — gives cause for hope.
However, optimism is running out for the Cottagers, whose winter dreams of Europe are starting to fade.
A total of just one point taken from their last three league games, allied to an ill-tempered quarter-final defeat to Manchester United, sees them out of the FA Cup, slipping away from the European places and short of key striker Aleksandar Mitrovic for their trip to the south coast.
Team news
The injuries are clearing up for O’Neil, with Bournemouth now potentially at full strength.
Defender Illia Zabarnyi and midfielder Marcus Tavernier will both hope to return from ankle and thigh injuries respectively and winger Junior Stanislas is also closing in on a return to full fitness.
Jefferson Lerma should be available despite pulling out of Colombia’s March friendlies.
Fulham will be without suspended pair Mitrovic and Willian, as well as the injured Neeskens Kebano, leaving the Cottagers’ frontline depleted.
Left-back Layvin Kurzawa remains out with a medial knee ligament injury and centre-back Shane Duffy is a major doubt with a calf problem.
The stats
Following a run of eight defeats in nine games either side of the World Cup, Bournemouth have lost only four of their last eight league games, with two of those coming against Manchester City and Arsenal in a last-minute away defeat.
They have also been pretty solid when hosting visitors from outside the current top four, compiling a record of four wins, four draws and only two defeats from 10 such matches and conceding just six goals.
Fulham have been fortunate to pick up four wins from their last 10 league matches as they outperformed their opponents’ expected goals rating in just one of those victories — the 2-0 home win against poor-travelling Nottingham Forest.
Marco Silva’s men were outplayed at times against both Chelsea and Brighton but still won, and were also a little fortunate to take all three points against Leicester.
Conversely, the only time Fulham could claim to have been unlucky in the four defeats in that run was their January defeat to Tottenham — and even then they only edged Spurs out by 0.1 xG on home soil.
Prediction
While Bournemouth cannot claim to be in red-hot form given they have collected only two wins and two draws in eight league games, there is a growing belief that they can avoid an immediate return to the second tier.
O’Neil has got his team scrapping for survival and away defeats at Arsenal, Brighton and even Aston Villa are nothing to worry about, while a home loss to Manchester City can be readily excused.
Victory over Liverpool and a draw against Champions League-chasing Newcastle in a decent run of performances since January show there is fight left in the Cherries and they could keep a clean sheet against a Fulham side who are running out of gas and will obviously miss top-scorer Mitrovic.
Bournemouth, who have been growing steadily more impressive at the Vitality Stadium in recent months, can pick up more vital points this weekend.
Back Bournemouth to win, available at 8/5 with LiveScore Bet.
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