The Football Faithful
·16 December 2024
The Football Faithful
·16 December 2024
Bournemouth welcome West Ham to the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League on Monday night.
Andoni Iraola’s team are targeting a fourth consecutive Premier League win, against a West Ham side whose season has struggled to get going under Julen Lopetegui. However, a win over Wolves last time out has lifted confidence at the London Stadium.
Bournemouth: LLWWW
Three consecutive wins have seen the Cherries climb up a congested Premier League table. Andoni Iraola’s side are seventh heading into tonight’s clash and can move level with Manchester City in fifth with a win.
A late show turned the game around against Ipswich last weekend, as Bournemouth struck twice in the final minutes to turn defeat into victory. Enes Unal’s 87th-minute equaliser set the stage Dango Ouattara to snatch the points in stoppage time.
Iraola’s high-intensity football has been on show in recent weeks, while Bournemouth’s collection or emerging talent have shone. Milos Kerkez, Dean Huijsen and Illya Zabarnyi are all gaining admirers from higher up the division.
West Ham: DWLLW
West Ham remain mired in the bottom half with the Irons unable to get their season going. Inconsistency has plagued Julen Lopetegui’s side, who have mixed an impressive win at Newcastle with a dreadful defeat to struggling Leicester in recent weeks.
Last week, Jarrod Bowen’s winner sealed a 2-1 win over Wolves in a clash dubbed ‘El Sackico’. Lopetegui edged out his former side at the London Stadium, earning him a stay of execution amid rumours of unrest in the boardroom.
West Ham 1-0 Bournemouth, 28th August 2024, Carabao Cup
West Ham rode their luck to progress at Bournemouth’s expense in the Carabao Cup in August. With no VAR in the second round of the competition, Mohammed Kudus’ winner was allowed to stand despite deflecting in off Jarrod Bowen’s arm.
Bournemouth were the better side for much of the contest but were unable to find a route back into the game. Marcus Tavernier came closest to finding a breakthrough as he struck the post with a free-kick. The Cherries could not find a leveller to bow out of the competition.
Bournemouth: Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Christie, Cook; Semenyo, Kluivert, Ouattara; Evanilson
West Ham: Fabianski; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Cresswell; Soucek, Alvarez; Kudus, Soler, Summerville; Bowen
Peter Bankes.
The game will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HDR.
8pm GMT.
Bournemouth – 7/10
Draw – 16/5
West Ham – 10/3