Friday, March 29, 2024

Prediction: Bournemouth vs Burnley

Verdict: Under 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 10/11

Bookmaker: Bet365

Two sides who are looking to build off of their victories last weekend, Burnley will make the trip to the Vitality on Saturday afternoon.

Bournemouth

Starting with the hosts, after ending their five-match Premier League losing run with a very shocking 1-0 victory away at Stamford Bridge last weekend, there is no doubt Eddie Howe is desperate to improve on that result. Widening their buffer over the drop zone to four points to take some of the pressure off of the one-time Burnley boss, fans on the South Coast will now be calling on their side to find some much-needed stability on home soil. Hit with back-to-back defeats against Wolves and league leaders Liverpool in their last two matchups at the Vitality, the Cherries have won just one of the last five top-flight matches that they have hosted. While an injury-hit Bournemouth may have made a string of improvements in West London last weekend, Howe’s side hold some rather unpleasant meetings against Saturday’s guests. Suffering back-to-back defeats against Burnley during the 2018/2019 campaign, they have also watched the Clarets grab maximum points in their last two trips to the South Coast.

Team News

Bournemouth still have a number of injury problems heading into this weekend’s match, with Nathan Ake, Adam Smith, Steve Cook, Harry Wilson, Charlie Daniels and Lloyd Kelly all unavailable for selection.

Burnley

As for the visitors, also ending their own losing run by snatching a 1-0 win over a resurging Newcastle last weekend, Burnley find themselves in almost an identical position to Saturday’s hosts. With their victories over the Magpies now seeing Sean Dyche’s side sit just a single point adrift of breaking into the top half, fans around Turf Moor will be calling on leading marksman Chris Wood to lead their charge on the South Coast. Bagging the winner against Newcastle last weekend, the New Zealand international ended his three-match barron run and has seven Premier League goals in his last 10 appearances. More impressive, the 27-year-old has found the net in three of his last four matches outside of Lancashire. If the Clarets are to land back-to-back victories and pile more pressure onto Howe then they will be looking to make some improvements on the road. Losing three of their last four matches away from Turf Moor, Burnley have recorded just a single away victory since opening the 2019/2020 campaign.

Team News

Charlie Taylor, Kevin Long and Ben Gibson are likely to remain on the sidelines.

Key Factors to Consider

  • When the two sides met during the 2018/2019 campaign, Burnley landed back-to-back victories.
  • Burnley have also won their last two trips to Turf Moor.
  • However, the Clarets have recorded just one away victory so far this season.
  • Bournemouth’s win last weekend ended a five-match losing run for Eddie Howe’s side.
  • The Cherries have also won just one of their last five matches on home soil.

Conclusion

While both sides should see Saturday as a golden opportunity to collect back-to-back victories, we could be in store for a cagey encounter. With Bournemouth only managing to muster a pair of shots on target at Stamford Bridge last weekend, they much like Burnley have continued to show a far from clinical edge in the final third. With both sides failing to land more than a single strike in 90 minutes in seven of their last nine combined matches, we’re backing a low-scoring outcome at the Vitality.

Verdict: Under 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 10/11

Bookmaker: Bet365

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Dunstan


Formerly of The Independent, Tom has spent the past six years as one of our senior writers and betting experts. Alongside working with numerous publications from across the globe, Tom also graduated from the University of Falmouth in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Digital Media.
Spending almost the past decade working in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada, he has also spent time featuring in sports radio. Tom can be followed on Instagram - @iamtomdunstan

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