AFC Bournemouth vs Burnley Preview: Cherries look to build more momentum

An upbeat Bournemouth will lock horns with a high-flying Burnley side in what is expected to be a closely fought game at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday evening.

The Cherries, who are currently 13th in the table, did endure a frustrating start to the season but have now recovered to make their way back to mid-table. Their previous game saw Eddie Howe's men in red and black hold Paul Clement's Swansea to a goalless draw at the Liberty Stadium.

The Clarets, on the other hand, have turned out to be the surprise packages of the season and are currently seventh in the table, three points off fourth-placed Arsenal. They did lose to the Gunners in stoppage time at the weekend, but they won't be too disappointed with the performance they put in on Sunday.

Cherries look to continue climb

The start to the season saw Bournemouth linger around the bottom spot for quite a few games, as defeats against the likes of Arsenal, Man City, West Brom and Watford had complicated things for them near the bottom of the league. Following the win over Brighton though, things underwent a change.

Wins over Stoke, Newcastle and the most recent hammering of Huddersfield have been enough to pull Howe's men clear of the bottom three. As things stand, Bournemouth are four points clear of West Ham, who occupy the last relegation spot in the Premier League.

Callum Wilson, who grabbed an impressive hat-trick against the Terriers two weeks ago, is Bournemouth's highest goal-getter with the treble, while Andrew Surman has racked up a tally of two goals so far. The return to form of Jordon Ibe has been very important this season.

Bournemouth have managed to find the back of the net the fourth-lowest amount of times this season, scoring only 11 times. Defensive issues though, have been far fewer than what one would expect from a side like them, but the Cherries have the sixth best defence in the Premier League already.

The Clarets hope for resurgence

It would be fair to say that Sean Dyche's men have been the surprise packages of the season, being as high as seventh in the league at this point. The defeat to Arsenal was a dent in their hopes of making their way up higher, but the game against Howe's men will allow them the opportunity to continue their climb back up.

Tottenham's loss to Leicester meant that a win against Bournemouth can lift Burnley above the Lilywhites, but it will not be easy. The fact that they have won three games in their previous four games suggests that they are well capable of pulling off a win.

Both Sam Vokes and summer signing Chris Wood happen to be the club's highest goal-getters with three goals each, as they happen to be regular starters in Dyche's old-fashioned 4-4-2 shape, which places emphasis on being physically dominant and robust. It is because of this that the Clarets have won the most number of tackles and aerial duels this season.

It is because of this style that Burnley boast of the third best defense in the league, that is only bettered by the Manchester clubs. They have scored 12 league goals.

A near clean bill of health for both sides

Bournemouth will still be without the trio of Adam Federici, Tyrone Mings and Brad Smith. And while they don’t have any fresh concerns, Jermain Defoe and Junior Stanislas are slight doubts, but are likely to feature against Burnley.

For the clarets, the duo of Tom Heaton and Jon Walters remain out, but Dean Marney and Matt Lowton are set to face late fitness tests in order to determine whether they will be fit enough to play.