MY ACCOUNT
– Bournemouth have lost nine of last 11 PL games, four by exactly one goal
– Newcastle have won seven of last 11 PL games, four by exactly one goal
– Recommended bet: Back Newcastle to win by one goal
After correctly predicting Newcastle to draw against West Ham with under 2.5 goals, Simon Barlow picks out his best bet for the Toon’s trip to Bournemouth on Saturday evening.
Bournemouth welcome back their former manager and centre forward on Saturday evening when Newcastle make the Premier League’s longest journey of the season to the Vitality Stadium.
Magpies boss Eddie Howe is unsure how he will feel when he returns to the club he managed for more than 450 games across two spells, spanning more than a decade, for the first time since he left in August 2020.
United striker Callum Wilson says that, if he scores, he will not celebrate out of respect for the club that plucked him from the relative obscurity of League One nine years ago.
The Cherries could do with a goalscorer of Wilson’s current pedigree as they attempt to haul themselves out of the division’s relegation zone while the fourth-placed Magpies are still aiming high as they seek to strengthen their claim for a Champions League spot.
Team news
Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil announced a change of captain this week with goalkeeper Neto taking over the armband from Lloyd Kelly.
Kelly and fellow defender Jack Stephens missed last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Brighton due to calf injuries with Chris Mepham recalled to partner Marcos Senesi at centre-back.
Illya Zabarnyi made the trip to Sussex, but did not earn a spot in the matchday squad after his recent arrival from Dynamo Kyiv.
Lewis Cook, Dominic Solanke and Marcus Tavernier will undergo late fitness checks with Antoine Semenyo’s place up front under threat after an uneventful debut.
The Magpies will be without a key midfield cog again as Bruno Guimaraes serves the second of his three-match suspension for the red card challenge he made against Southampton.
Full-backs Matt Targett (heel), Javier Manquillo (knee) and Emil Krafth (ACL) remain sidelined with injuries, but Alexander Isak is set to return this weekend.
The Sweden international striker missed last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with West Ham at St James’ Park because of concussion protocols.
Anthony Gordon will hope that he has done enough in training after a positive cameo against the Hammers on debut to force his way into Howe’s starting XI.
The stats
Newcastle’s current 16-game unbeaten league run is the club’s longest in the top flight and the longest sequence without defeat established by any club under an English manager in the Premier League era.
Wilson spent six years at Bournemouth before moving to Tyneside, scoring 67 goals as he became the Cherries’ third-highest all-time scorer.
Prediction
It will be a peculiar sight to see Howe in the away dugout at the Vitality Stadium this weekend.
His standing in the game has never been greater than now, however, as he steers Newcastle towards a top-four finish and potentially their first piece of major domestic silverware in 68 years.
The Magpies have been consistent on their travels, taking points from nine of their 10 away trips so far this season.
Bournemouth, on the other hand, have lost more times than they have won on the South Coast.
Bournemouth were less than 10 minutes away from earning a win at home to Nottingham Forest in their last home date and it took a late strike from Kaoru Mitoma to deny them a dogged point at Brighton a week ago, but that is becoming the story of their season.
O’Neil’s nearly men look set to come up just short of stopping Newcastle’s bandwagon this weekend too with the visitors able to secure all three points after a closely-fought affair.
Back Newcastle to win by one goal at 21/10 with LiveScore Bet.
