Bournemouth resume their bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League when they welcome European-chasing Fulham to the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.
Last season's top two in the Championship have experienced contrasting seasons in the top flight this term, with the Cherries currently languishing in 19th place in the table and the Cottagers sitting 10 places further up in ninth spot.
Match preview
© Reuters
After ending a five-game winless home run with an impressive 1-0 triumph over Liverpool, Bournemouth were condemned to their 15th Premier League defeat of the season when they lost 3-0 away against Aston Villa before the international break.
No Premier League team have lost more matches (eight), won fewer points (eight) or scored fewer goals (seven) than the Cherries since the World Cup break, and Gary O'Neil's men find themselves in a hotly-contested relegation battle with eight other clubs heading down the home straight.
Despite their poor run of form over the last few months, Bournemouth sit only one point adrift of safety and could climb out of the relegation zone with a victory on Saturday. A draw, however, will likely see them remain in the bottom three as they possess the worst goal difference (-29) in the division.
Sharing the spoils has been a common theme in recent meetings with Fulham, as Bournemouth have drawn each of their last three encounters against the Cottagers, including a 2-2 draw in West London back in August.
The Cherries have lost only two of their last 17 clashes with Fulham overall, though, and they will be confident of success on Saturday considering that they have accumulated 16 of their 24 Premier League points on home soil this season.
© Reuters
Last season's Championship title winners Fulham were tipped by many to make an immediate return to the second tier this season, but Marco Silva's side are exceeding expectations and are battling to qualify for Europe for the first time in over a decade.
However, the Cottagers hopes of securing a top-seven finish were dented before the international break as they suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats against Brentford and Arsenal, and they now sit three points behind seventh-placed Brighton & Hove Albion who have two games in hand.
It is fair to say that Fulham's most recent outing was an eventful one, as they were on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline against Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-finals just under two weeks ago, a game they were leading before a minute of madness midway through the second half turned the game on its head.
After Willian was shown a straight red card for handball inside the penalty area, Alexander Mitrovic – who had opened the scoring – was also given his marching orders after pushing referee Chris Kavanagh, while head coach Silva was another who received red for dissent towards the officials.
Fulham's needless capitulation ultimately cost them a place at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals, and both Silva and Mitrovic have since apologised for their actions after being charged by the FA, with the latter potentially facing a lengthy ban greater than his current three-match suspension.
Considering the Cottagers are unbeaten in each of their last eight games against teams currently sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League, Silva's side will fancy their chances of bouncing back from their disappointment at Old Trafford and beginning a strong run of form with a win over Bournemouth, with Saturday's fixture the first of four in succession against relegation-threatened teams.
Team News
© Reuters
Bournemouth trio Marcus Tavernier (hamstring), Junior Stanislas (knock) and Illia Zabarnyi (ankle) are all doubtful and will all be assessed ahead of kickoff, with the latter still waiting to make his debut following his January move from Dynamo Kiev.
David Brooks made his first Premier League appearance in 536 days when he came on as a substitute against Aston Villa two weeks ago after recovering from cancer, and the Welshman will battle with Dango Ouattara for a place in the starting lineup.
Joe Rothwell could start his fourth successive game in centre-midfield alongside Jefferson Lerma, with Philip Billing operating further forward just behind central striker Dominic Solanke, who scored and provided an assist in the 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage in October.
As for Fulham, Mitrovic and Willian are both suspended following their dismissals against Man United, while Neeskens Kebano (Achilles), Layvin Kurzawa (knee) and Shane Duffy (calf) remain sidelined with injuries.
The absence of Mitrovic will likely see Carlos Vinicius lead the line, while either Manor Solomon or Daniel James is set to start on the left flank at the expense of Willian.
The rest of Silva's starting lineup is expected to remain intact, although Tosin Adarabioyo will push Issa Diop for a place at centre-back alongside Tim Ream.
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Neto; Smith, Stephens, Senesi, Kelly; Ouattara, Lerma, Rothwell, Traore; Billing; Solanke
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Tete, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Reed, Palhinha; De Cordova-Reid, Pereira, Solomon; Vinicius
We say: Bournemouth 1-1 Fulham
The absence of Mitrovic and Willian is a major blow for Fulham, with the former having scored just under a third of their Premier League goals this season, but the Cottagers will still believe they have options in attack to pose a threat to the leakiest backline in the division.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, will hope to take advantage of Fulham's dip in form, although they may have to settle for a share of the spoils once again as they did six months ago.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
