Following their emphatic 3-1 win over Everton at the weekend, Bournemouth will travel to St. Mary’s as they are due to come up against Southampton on Friday.
Eddie Howe’s side have won just one of their eight Premier League meetings against the Saints and they will be desperate to turn the tide to an extent tomorrow.
Both teams have collected 7 points from their 5 league outings so far and it goes without saying that the upcoming South Coast derby promises to be a crunch one.
Bournemouth Team News
The Cherries will be bereft of the services of Dan Gosling, David Brooks, Charlie Daniels, Adam Smith, Junior Stanislas and Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld.
Simon Francis and Lloyd Kelly are on their way to attain full fitness and might be in contention to feature, although Howe is not expected to rush them back with the two at different stages of their recovery graph.
Predicted Bournemouth Lineup Vs Southampton (4-4-1-1)
Defence
Aaron Ramsdale is set to be chalked between the sticks as usual. He is the first-choice custodian for the south coast outfit at the moment and will be one of the first names in the Bournemouth lineup.
In central defence, Steve Cook and Nathan Ake could be used once again.
Meanwhile, Diego Rico and Jack Stacey are likely to start as the full-backs.
Against the Toffees, Rico was exciting to watch. The left-back was industrious down the left and he bagged an assist. Besides, he also completed 1 dribble and won 1 tackle. He will have to keep up his recent form though with Kelly nearing match fitness to put pressure on him.
Midfield
Lewis Cook’s return was instrumental for the Cherries against Everton and the midfielder is expected to start in the central midfield alongside Philip Billing in the Bournemouth lineup.
He brought creativity and composure in equal measure and his form will have an impact on their season this time around.
Harry Wilson and Ryan Fraser could start in the wide areas, with the latter possibly coming into the side at the expense of Dominic Solanke who started upfront against Everton.
Attack
Joshua King started on the wings at the weekend but is likely to start behind the striker against Southampton even though he was actually decent in his new position.
Up top, Callum Wilson should keep his place in the Bournemouth lineup. The 27-year-old has scored 3 goals in his 5 league games so far, including a brace against Everton and will be looking to continue his excellent form against the Saints.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
