Still searching for their first Premier League victory of the 2023-24 campaign, Bournemouth play host to Gary O'Neil's Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
While the Cherries are placed inside the relegation zone, the visitors currently sit 14th in the table, four points clear of the bottom three.
Match preview
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Bournemouth's decision to part ways with Gary O'Neil in the summer and appoint Andoni Iraola as their new head coach is yet to be vindicated, as they are one of just two Premier League teams, along with basement club Sheffield United, who are yet to celebrate a victory this season.
Since playing out back-to-back draws with Brentford and Chelsea, the Cherries have suffered three successive league defeats, conceding nine goals in the process, including a disappointing 3-0 loss at Everton before the international break.
Bournemouth have failed to win any of their last 12 Premier League games dating back to the end of April and they find themselves sitting 19th in the table having scored the fewest goals (five) in the division.
Victory against Wolves could see Iraola's men climb out of the bottom three, but success on Saturday could prove challenging as they won just one of their six top-flight meetings with the West Midlands outfit.
Bournemouth have also struggled at the Vitality Stadium for some time as they have failed to win each of their last six league games on home soil, while they have only won three of their 14 top-flight fixtures on their own turf since the turn of the year.
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Wolves boss O'Neil was in charge of Bournemouth the last time that the Cherries won a Premier League home game six months ago – a 4-1 win over Leeds United – and the 40-year-old has since made an inconsistent start to life at Molineux, with his new side accumulating eight points from as many matches in the top flight.
After falling short against Ipswich Town in the EFL Cup, Wolves responded in impressive fashion with a 2-1 home win over reigning Premier League champions Manchester City, before playing out a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa in a feisty West Midlands derby before the international break.
Hwang Hee-chan opened the scoring with his fifth successive Premier League goal early in the second half, but Wolves' celebrations were short-lived as Villa responded just two minutes later through Pau Torres to force both sides to share the spoils.
With a four-point gap separating Wolves from both the relegation zone and the top half, O'Neil will be keen for his side to build on their three-game unbeaten league run as they endeavour to climb further up the table, with favourable-looking away fixtures against Bournemouth, Sheffield United and Fulham on the horizon.
Wolves have struggled on their travels for some time as they have only won one of their last 12 Premier League away games, but they have not lost any of their previous three top-flight meetings with Bournemouth, with a 2-1 win in November 2019 taking place in between 1-1 and 0-0 draws in February 2019 and August 2022 respectively.
Team News
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Bournemouth will be without Tyler Adams (thigh), Alex Scott (knee), Ryan Fredericks (calf) and Emiliano Marcondes (ankle) due to injury, while Lloyd Kelly (calf) and Chris Mepham (unspecified) are both doubtful and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Philip Billing was forced to withdraw from the Denmark squad earlier this month after sustaining a minor injury, but the midfielder is expected to recover in time to feature on Saturday and could continue in the number 10 role behind central striker Dominic Solanke.
Max Aarons will look to replace Adam Smith at right-back, and Joe Rothwell could return to centre-midfield at the expense of Ryan Christie, while Luis Sinisterra and David Brooks will be hoping to force their way into the first XI ahead of Dango Ouattara and Marcus Tavernier.
As for Wolves, Hugo Bueno and Rayan Ait-Nouri are both doubtful with respective hamstring and muscle problems, while Nelson Semedo and Mario Lemina are suspended - the latter of whom was sent off in the draw with Aston Villa.
However, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde is available for selection after serving a three-game ban, and the summer signing could return to centre-midfield at the expense of Lemina, partnering Joao Gomes in the first XI.
O'Neil will likely stick with a 3-4-3 formation, with Matt Doherty and Jonny Castro potentially operating as wing-backs while in-form attackers Pedro Neto and Hwang Hee-chan – who have combined for three league goals so far this season – link up with Matheus Cunha in the final third.
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Neto; Aarons, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Cook, Rothwell; Tavernier, Billing, Sinisterra; Solanke
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Sa; Kilman, Dawson, Toti; Doherty, Gomes, Bellegarde, Jonny; Neto, Cunha, Hwang
We say: Bournemouth 1-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Bournemouth can ill-afford to see their winless run continue if they are to steer themselves clear of the danger zone, and they will view Saturday's clash with Wolves as a must-win considering that three of their next four fixtures are against teams who finished in the top five last season.
Wolves failed to score in both home and away encounters with the Cherries last season, but they have found their form in front of goal in recent months, netting in each of their last seven league games, and we believe that their new lease of life up top can help in their quest to claim maximum points at the Vitality Stadium.
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Top tip
Oliver Thomas
