Aiming to extend their winning run in the top flight to six matches, Bournemouth will welcome a struggling Crystal Palace side to the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League on Boxing Day.
The Cherries will be brimming with confidence following a battering of Manchester United on the weekend, whilst the Eagles were dealt a Selhurst Park thumping by title hopefuls Arsenal.
Match preview
© Imago
Since gaining automatic promotion back to the Premier League under the stewardship of Scott Parker during the 2021-22 Championship campaign, Bournemouth have battled to successive bottom-half finishes, although it appears as if the South Coast club are stepping up a gear this term.
The Cherries are now five games unbeaten in the top flight following a field day at the Theatre of Dreams on Sunday afternoon, when goals from Dean Huijsen, Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo sealed a three-strike success against Man United, who have now lost back-to-back matches at Old Trafford to the seaside outfit.
Winning four of their last five league contests since the final moments of November, Bournemouth have sprung up to fifth position in the Premier League standings, a mammoth 16 points away from the relegation zone and just three points behind Nottingham Forest in the lowest of the Champions League spots.
Head coach Andoni Iraola is stressing the importance of keeping feet firmly on the ground following a stellar start to the 2024-25 campaign, with the forward-thinking Spaniard guiding Thursday afternoon's hosts to the next step, building on the foundations put in place by former boss Gary O'Neil.
Victorious in four of their eight top-flight home matches so far this term, Bournemouth have cherry-picked some serious scalps at the Vitality Stadium, including Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month, when 19-year-old defender Huijsen became the first-ever teenage goalscorer for the club in the Premier League.
© Imago
Following a five-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League from the end of November to the middle of December, Crystal Palace have endured somewhat of a festive nightmare in the company of London rivals Arsenal over the past week, with the Gunners beating their city foes in both cup and league battles.
A Gabriel Jesus hat-trick stole the headlines last Wednesday night as the Eagles were dumped out of the EFL Cup at the quarter-final stage in North London, and three days later it was the turn of Palace to host in the top flight, with Mikel Arteta's men enjoying a 5-1 triumph.
Happy to see the back of Arsenal, Crystal Palace are currently occupying 16th place in the Premier League table, just four points above 18th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers, who appear set for a significant resurgence following the arrival of Portuguese head coach Vitor Pereira.
As a result, it is of paramount importance that Oliver Glasner's troops continue their healthy recent form during away matches in the top flight, with the Eagles unbeaten in four Premier League contests on their travels, a spell that includes wins at Ipswich Town and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Bagging a brace and an assist during his side's 3-1 success over the Seagulls on the South Coast earlier this month, Ismaila Sarr is beginning to find his feet in England again after a one-year hiatus at Marseille in Ligue 1, with the 26-year-old scoring four league goals so far.
Team News
© Imago
Bournemouth boss Iraola has revealed that he does not expect any of his injured contingent to recover in time to feature on Boxing Day versus the Eagles.
As a result, the likes of Alex Scott (knee), Julian Araujo (hamstring) and centre-back Marcos Senesi (muscle) will be limited to watching briefs once more.
There could be an alteration for the in-form Cherries at right-back, where Adam Smith might be replaced by Lewis Cook, who played the second 45 minutes at Manchester United on the weekend.
Crystal Palace are set to receive a major injury boost, with England international Eberechi Eze likely to return to the squad after missing the Arsenal defeat on the weekend.
Another attacking threat, Daniel Munoz will also be involved once again on Boxing Day after serving his suspension against the Gunners last time out.
Trevoh Chalobah is available for selection following his omission from the starting XI against Arsenal, with the centre-back a victim of Glasner's rotation tactics.
After a breakthrough campaign in 2023-24, Adam Wharton is struggling to find consistency this time around, largely down to a groin issue that has kept him sidelined since the start of November.
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Arrizabalaga; Cook, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Adams, Christie; Semenyo, Kluivert, Ouattara; Evanilson
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Henderson; Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Hughes, Lerma, Mitchell; Eze, Nketiah, Mateta
We say: Bournemouth 1-0 Crystal Palace
Conceding just seven goals across eight Premier League home matches in 2024-25, Bournemouth will be confident of keeping an often-misfiring Crystal Palace outfit at bay.
The Eagles will be buoyed by the likely return of Eze to top-flight action, although we cannot envisage a Boxing Day success for the visitors on the South Coast.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
