On Sunday afternoon, Gary O’Neil's AFC Bournemouth side will host Leeds United at the Vitality Stadium in what will be a key match for both teams’ survival hopes.
This will be just the second time the two sides have met in the Premier League with the first meeting resulting in a seven goal thriller, which Leeds United won 4-3 at Elland Road.
Bournemouth go into Sunday’s game coming in off the back of a vital 1-0 away win against their south coast rivals, Southampton. The Cherries controlled and dominated all aspects of the game, with Marcus Tavernier scoring from a well worked left footed effort.
Leeds United also had their own ‘six pointer’ in the week, when they welcomed Leicester City to Elland Road, drawing 1-1 in a hard fought game, which they could have won if Patrick Bamford had converted his golden opportunity late on.
Bournemouth now sit in 14th position on 36 points and seven above the drop zone, thanks to a run which has seen them win five games out of eight, with crucial wins against Liverpool, Fulham, Leicester, Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton.
However, Gary O’Neil insisted that the Cherries will not settle on 36 points and that they will “keep pushing and get as many as we can to hopefully secure safety as early as possible.”
Meanwhile for Leeds, the picture certainly looks more threatening at the bottom of the table. The Yorkshire club have won just once in their last six games, suffering heavy defeats to Arsenal, Liverpool and Crystal Palace.
With Bournemouth gaining momentum at the right time of the season, their Premier League survival looks almost guaranteed, but for Javia Gracia’s side there is much work to be done, and if they want to stay in the league that work will have to start Sunday.
Team News
Bournemouth will be boosted by the return of Jack Stephens who will be eligible to feature again after he was unable to face his parent club Southampton on Thursday night.
The defender, who has made a total of 137 Premier League appearances, has become an increasingly important part of Bournemouth’s backline as the season has progressed, starting in all of their last nine games before the Southampton fixture.
Fullback Ryan Fredericks and Junior Stanislas remain out injured meanwhile Hamed Traoré, who joined on a short term loan deal from Sassuolo in January, is also out of action having made just seven appearances in his spell at Bournemouth.
Marcus Tavernier will also be assessed after having to be brought off on Thursday night due to a hamstring strain. O’Neil has said his players will suffer from tiredness after numerous players suffered from cramp midweek.
In the opposite camp, Leeds will benefit from an extra two days of recovery after playing on Tuesday night, giving Gracia crucial time to prepare his squad.
In Tuesday night’s draw over Leicester, Luis Sinisterra had to be brought off in the 32nd minute after picking up a knock. He has been unfortunately been ruled out for the rest of the season with ankle ligament damage.
Gracia will be likely to pick up on Crysencio Summerville to fill his boots, with the Spanish manager seemingly preferring the Dutchman to Wilfried Gnonto.
Summerville has played in six of Leeds’ seven wins this season. Last time out against Bournemouth, the winger won a penalty for Rodrigo to convert and chipped in with the winning goal with a superb finish.
Max Wöber will also remain out injured after he is currently not training with the side due to an injury he picked up during the Fulham game.
Likely Line-ups
AFC Bournemouth:
Neto, Mepham, Stephens, Kelly, Tavernier, Rothwell, Lerma, Smith, Billing, Christie, Solanke.
Leeds United:
Meslier, Kristensen, Koch, Cooper, Firpo, Roca, McKennie, Harrison, Rodrigo, Summerville, Bamford
Key players
AFC Bournemouth - Marcus Tavernier
Tavernier has had a superb debut season in the red and black striped shirt of Bournemouth. The Englishman, who can play as a left or right midfielder as well as an ability to play in the centre of midfield, has been a vital part of Bournemouth’s attack all season.
After suffering injuries in the middle of the campaign, the player has since returned to the form which he showed at the beginning of O’Neil’s reign, making 23 appearances with five goals and four assists.
Last time out against Leeds, the winger popped up with a fine right-footed volley to draw Bournemouth level, before setting up both Philip Billing and Dominic Solanke for goals.
If Bournemouth are to claim all three points on Sunday, Tavernier will be a key part of what has become a free flowing attack.
Leeds have struggled defensively all season, shipping the joint most amount of goals (63), as well as conceding a total of 19 goals in April alone. The most amount of goals ever conceded by a Premier League team in one month is 20, also set by Leeds in February 2022.
If the club are to avoid setting another unwanted record, Cooper will be key. The Scotsman, who has played 236 times for Leeds, has seen his game time fall this season with appearances of the bench his most frequent way of gaining minutes.
However, in the last two games the 31 year old has came into the side to give much needed assurance and experience to the Premier League’s leakiest team.
Cooper was vital in their midweek 1-1 draw against Leicester, with a dominant presence in the box as well as being alert to any signs of danger, with a superb early block from a Harvey Barnes effort.
If Leeds are to stem the flow of goals towards their own net, the continued presence of Cooper will be very important.
Match Details:
Where is the game being played?
The game will kick off at Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium, which has a capacity of 11,379.
What time is kick off?
The match will kick off at 14:00 BST on Sunday the 30th of April.
How can I watch?
The game will not be broadcast in the United Kingdom, with Fulham vs Manchester City instead being the 14:00 fixture that is broadcast. Radio coverage and updates will be provided by the BBC Radio 5 Live service.