Bournemouth welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Vitality Stadium in a Premier League fixture on Saturday evening.
The Cherries have been the surprise package in the Premier League this season. Andoni Iraola’s side are in excellent form with four wins and one loss in their last five games across all competitions, with their only defeat coming at the hands of league leaders Liverpool.
Wolves, on the other hand, have endured a dismal campaign and currently lie just a spot above the relegation zone. They have lost four of their last five league fixtures, including a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
That being said, let us check out the key battles on the pitch.
#Matheus Cunha vs Tyler Adams
Matheus Cunha has easily been one of the best players in the Premier League this season. He will be Wolves’ biggest threat against Bournemouth, thanks to his movement, creativity, flair and shooting ability.
Andoni Iraola has to come up with a plan to limit Cunha’s prowess in the final third, and he could task Tyler Adams to keep him under wraps. Tenacious, lively and covers a lot of ground, the USA international can be a real pest in the middle of the park and will try his best to follow the Wolves star.
This matchup is interesting, and if Adams can somehow manage to stop Cunha from influencing the visitors’ attacking play, Bournemouth’s chances of winning against Wolves will grow more.
#Antoine Semenyo vs Nelson Semedo
Antoine Semenyo has taken his game to the next level this season. Due to his pace, trickery, guile and directness, he has been difficult to contain for the opposing defenders. The Ghanaian, who has scored seven goals and supplied four assists in the league so far, is in a rich vein of form and can create all kinds of problems for Wolves.
Semenyo will be tough to handle for the Wanderers and they will need all the experience of wing-back Nelson Semedo to keep him in check. The Bournemouth star certainly has the ability to make things happen in and around the box, so Semedo must not allow him to time and space on the ball. Instead, the Portuguese should try to pin him back as much as possible with his direct runs and energy.
On paper, Semenyo is likely to win this battle against Semedo.
#Justin Kluivert vs Joao Gomes
Justin Kluivert has been central to Bournemouth’s rise this season. His ability to thread passes, occupy spaces and score goals makes him tailormade to operate in the No.10 role in Iraola’s system. Despite not getting on the teamsheet in the 3-1 win over Southampton last weekend, the Dutchman had a strong outing.
If Kluivert is allowed time on the ball and spaces to exploit, he could create havoc and take the game away from Wolves. So, Joao Gomes should make sure that the Bournemouth playmaker does not get too much freedom on the ball. Kluivert has netted 11 goals and registered five assists so far this season, and Gomes has to be clever with his positioning to nullify his threat whilst trying to control the game with his passing and reading of the game.
