Bournemouth
- Bournemouth and Sunderland are close together in the standings, but the Cherries are 8th with 38 points from 27 games compared to Sunderland’s 36 points in the same number of games.
- Iraola’s side have been in the ascendancy in recent weeks, winning three and drawing two of their last five in the Premier League.
- The Cherries’ game plan is based on high-intensity pressing, playing at tempo and creating numbers in the final third with Bournemouth’s style often taking the form of organised chaos.
- Bournemouth have won six, drawn five and lost only two of their 13 home games in the Premier League, conceding an average of just 1.08 goals per game.
Sunderland
- Sunderland have lost four of their last five in the league and are coming into this match on a three-match losing streak, including a 1-3 home defeat to Fulham.
- Régis Le Bris has tried to get them playing in an organised and compact manner, with wide players coming inside and plenty of rehearsed possession play.
Head-to-Head
Sunderland beat Bournemouth 3-2 at the Stadium of Light two months ago to show they can trouble the home team but it may not be enough to get them a result on Saturday.
Key Players
- Eli Junior Kroupi has been a regular goal threat for the hosts, scoring eight times in 22 Premier League games, and James Hill has added a real creative spark to their forward play with three assists in Bournemouth’s last five league games.
- Brian Brobbey remains their main goal threat, but with five in 22 appearances, and he has had little support in the last couple of weeks.
Betting Insights
- Bournemouth are 1.74 favorites to win this game and Sunderland are 4.33 outsiders, which seems about right considering the hosts are playing at home and in much better form.
- But the best bet could be Over 2.5 goals at 1.75 because Bournemouth will try to impose their tempo on the game and Sunderland have conceded 20 in 13 away games, winning just two, drawing four and losing seven.
