Bournemouth – Leicester : Preview & Prediction
Gary O’Neil remains unbeaten as Bournemouth’s interim manager and is not letting his side’s standards drop, insisting they “could have done better” during last week’s 0-0 draw with Brentford. That result means the Cherries have won one game and drawn three since sacking Scott Parker and demonstrates the U-turn following the 9-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool – the worst defeat in the club’s history.
In fact, four games is Bournemouth’s longest unbeaten run in the Premier League (PL) since October 2018, but O’Neil will be mindful that they need to turn some of those draws into wins to stay clear of the relegation places. Draws have been a constant theme at the Vitality Stadium, with their last two home league appearances ending 0-0, meaning Bournemouth have failed to score in four of their last five top-flight games played at their stadium.
Perhaps the visit of Leicester can give some life to Bournemouth’s attack due to the fact that they won on the last two occasions the two teams met at this venue by 4-1 and 4-2. However, Leicester are a rejuvenated side, and they scored four goals during Monday’s 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest in a game that manager Brendan Rodgers cited as one that “could change their season.”
That result relieved some of the pressure that loomed over Rodgers, who was perhaps feeling deja vu after being sacked by Liverpool in the first week of October 2015. History seemed destined to repeat itself if the Foxes lost to Forest after a run of six consecutive PL defeats before that, but even after their first win of the league season, Leicester still sit in the relegation zone, with their 22 goals conceded being the highest tally in the division after matchday eight, 17 of which were recorded away.
Players to watch: Dominic Solanke scored his first PL goal for Bournemouth against Leicester in 2020, but that was their only win in four meetings against their away opponents (P3). Meanwhile, Jamie Vardy has scored seven times in 12 clashes against the Cherries (G4, E5, P3), but has failed to find the back of the net in eight PL games for the first time since a 10-game drought between August and September 2016.
Key stat: Leicester has not won any of its last six away games in PL in which it scored first (E3, P3).
Bournemouth – Leicester : Betting Tips
Bournemouth – Win Odds: 2.50
