Sunderland will be looking for their first Premier League win of the season when they take on Bournemouth at Dean Court this weekend.
The Black Cats have endured a poor start to the campaign and sit 19th in the table, while Eddie Howe's side will hope to bounce back from last weekend's defeat to Norwich City.
Bournemouth
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It was always going to be a tough ask for Bournemouth to repeat their outstanding success from last season's Championship victory in the top flight, and they have had a hard start to life in the Premier League.
The Cherries have lost three of their opening five league matches, with the most recent of those defeats coming against Norwich City last weekend.
They defended poorly at Carrow Road and were exposed as the Canaries romped to a 3-1 win. Howe said that he was disappointed by the manner in which they conceded and admitted that his team gave the ball away cheaply.
The Cherries had one of the best defensive records in the Championship last season, conceding 45 goals in their 46 games, but they have already let in nine this campaign, with only Chelsea and Sunderland leaking more.
However, Bournemouth have shown that they have quality attacking players that can make the difference, with Callum Wilson being tipped for an England call-up after scoring four goals already this season.
Recent form: LLWWDL
Sunderland
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The Black Cats narrowly escaped relegation last season after an improvement in form when Dick Advocaat arrived, and another battle against the drop seems likely after their start to the current campaign.
They have failed to win any of their five Premier League matches and are joint-bottom of the table with closest rivals Newcastle United, after picking up just two points.
Their season started on a losing note with a 4-2 defeat against Leicester City, and things got even worse a week later, when they were beaten 3-1 at home by Norwich City, with a number of fans leaving the stadium at half time.
Advocaat's side showed some signs of recovery with draws against Swansea City and Aston Villa in their next two games, but they were dealt another blow last weekend, as Ryan Mason's goal saw them slip to a 1-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.
Sunderland have now gone eight league matches without a win, and things do not appear to be getting any easier for them in the upcoming weeks, as they will face Manchester City in the League Cup next Tuesday before travelling to Old Trafford to face Manchester United four days later.
Recent form: LLDWDL
Team News
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Tyrone Mings and Max Gradel are still ruled out for Bournemouth, while Harry Arter is not yet fit enough to make his return.
Charlie Daniels could return after missing last weekend's match, but Adam Smith will continue to deputise at left-back if he is unavailable.
There may also be a first start for Glenn Murray, who is expected to replace Joshua King in the starting lineup.
Meanwhile, Steven Fletcher, Adam Johnson and Adam Matthews, who all missed the defeat against Spurs, are rated as doubtful for this weekend's match.
However, DeAndre Yedlin is available to make his debut for the Black Cats after being unable to play against his parent club last week.
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Boruc, Francis, Elphick, Cook, Daniels, Ritchie, Gosling, Surman, Pugh, Murray, Wilson
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Pantilimon, Yedlin, O'Shea, Kaboul, Aahholt, M'Vila, Cattermole, Lens, Toivonen, Defoe, Borini
Head To Head
The two teams have only played each other on six previous occasions, with Sunderland unbeaten after winning four and drawing two of those games.
Their last meeting came 25 years ago, when a goal from Marco Gabbiadini gave the Black Cats a 1-0 win in the old Division Two.
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Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:
We say: Bournemouth 2-0 Sunderland
Bournemouth will be desperate to get off the mark at home this season and improve upon last week's showing at Norwich. They will fancy their chances against a Sunderland side who look short of confidence and have been leaking goals. Although both teams are coming into the game with poor results, we fancy the Cherries to claim the points this weekend and pile further misery on their opponents.
Alex Meyers
