Bournemouth will continue their preparations for their 2023-24 Premier League campaign with a friendly against rivals Southampton on Tuesday night.
The Cherries are working towards their season opener at home to West Ham United on August 12, while Southampton will begin their Championship campaign away to Sheffield Wednesday on August 4.
Match preview
© Reuters
Southampton finished bottom of the 2022-23 Premier League table, picking up just 25 points from their 38 matches, which saw them relegated to the Championship for the first time since 2012.
The Saints have already played three friendlies this summer, opening their preparations for the new season with a 2-0 defeat to Benfica before drawing 1-1 with Goztepe three days later.
Russell Martin's side were involved in a six-goal thriller with Reading on Saturday, meanwhile, and it was the Championship outfit that emerged 4-2 winners over their League One opponents.
Southampton have just two pre-season games left, following this contest with a clash against Dutch outfit AZ, and their Championship campaign will then begin away to Sheffield Wednesday on August 4.
Martin's team have made two signings this summer, bringing in Shea Charles from Manchester City and Ryan Manning from Swansea City, while there have been a number of first-team departures.
© Reuters
Bournemouth survived relegation from the Premier League last season, claiming 15th in the table on 39 points, which saw them finish five points above the bottom three.
Gary O'Neill was unable to keep his job as head coach, though, with Andoni Iraola appointed as the new manager off the back of excellent work while in charge of Rayo Vallecano.
Bournemouth have made four signings during the summer transfer window, bringing in Hamed Traore, Milos Kerkez, Romain Faivre and Justin Kluivert to boost their squad for next season.
The Cherries have played two friendlies this summer, recording a 4-0 win over Hibernian on July 13 before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv three days later.
Iraola's team will take on Atalanta BC and Lorient in their two final pre-season matches before beginning their Premier League campaign at home to West Ham on August 12.
Team News
© Reuters
Southampton head coach Martin made full use of his squad against Reading and that should again be the case in Tuesday's contest with Bournemouth.
James Ward-Prowse continues to be linked with a move away from St Mary's, but he was on the scoresheet against the Royals last time out and should again feature from the first whistle.
Adam Armstrong, who also registered against Reading, should also keep his spot in the XI, while Romeo Lavia is expected to be involved despite the ongoing speculation surrounding his future.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, should again have Hamed Traore and Kluivert in their starting lineup, with the new arrivals set to be joined by Dominic Solanke in the final third of the field.
David Brooks is pushing for a start, having featured off the bench against Maccabi Tel Aviv last time out, while Adam Smith could also come into the side at right-back.
Cherries head coach Areola used 22 players in the team's last match, and it would not be a surprise to see a similar number in this game, as the Premier League outfit continue to build towards the new season.
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Bazunu; Livramento, Bednarek, Stephens, Walker-Peters; Ward-Prowse, Aribo, Smallbone; Tella, A Armstrong, Alcaraz
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Neto; Smith, Senesi, Zabarnyi, Mepham; Cook, Kilkenny, Christie; Traore, Solanke, Kluivert
We say: Southampton 2-2 Bournemouth
This has all of the makings of an entertaining match, and we are expecting goals on Tuesday night. Southampton are ahead of Bournemouth in terms of their preparations for the new season, but the Cherries have a lot of quality, so we are backing a high-scoring draw here.
No Data Analysis info
Matt Law
