Two teams at opposite ends of the table meet on Wednesday night as sixth-placed Bournemouth face 21st-placed Rotherham United.  

The Cherries come into the game off the back of a goalless draw away at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Bournemouth currently occupy the final play-off place and are five points behind Reading who defeated struggling Bristol City on Tuesday night. Since the sacking of Jason Tindall, Bournemouth are undefeated under the management of caretaker boss Jonathan Woodgate.

The Millers have improved their form recently with three wins from their last five games however they came into the game after a 2-1 home defeat to Cardiff City due to Joe Bennett's 85th minute winner. Rotherham are currently two points behind Coventry City with two games in hand. The Millers have won their last three away games so will be confident they can get a result at the Vitality Stadium.

Team News

Lloyd Kelly is likely to replace the injured Steve Cook at centre-back after the Bournemouth captain picked up a groin injury at the weekend. David Brooks, Lewis Cook and Phillip Billing could all be in line for a recall. Dominic Solanke, Jack Stacey and Ben Pearson are all unavailable due to injury and Chris Mepham is a doubt for the fixture. 

Jamie Lindsay suffered a hamstring injury for Rotherham so is unavailable. Jamal Blackman, Chiedozie Ogbene and Joe Mattock are also unavailable for the Millers.

Predicted line-ups

Bournemouth (4-3-3):

Begovic; Smith, Kelly, Carter-Vickers, Rico; Lerma, Cook, Wilshere; Brooks, Surridge, Groeneveld

Rotherham (3-5-1-1):

Johansson; MacDonald, Robertson, Ihiekwe; Harding, Wiles, Giles, Wing, Barlaser; Crooks; Smith

Ones to watch

Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld

The Dutch left-winger has six goals and two assists in the Championship this season and has been a key performer in Bournemouth's first season back in the second division. The Cherries signed Groeneveld from Belgian side Club Brugge for £16.2 million in August 2019 and could be crucial for their promotion push this season.

Michael Smith

The 29-year-old striker is the focal point of Rotherham's attacking play with his aerial prowess and eye for goal. He has bagged seven goals and two assists for The Millers this season and could be the difference between safety and relegation this season.

Previous Meetings

The two sides played out a 2-2 draw in their meeting back in November as Freddie Ladapo's two goals cancelled out goals from Dominic Solanke and Junior Stanislas.

How to watch 

Kick-off is at 20:15 GMT on Wednesday 17th February and is available to watch on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event.

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