Match Preview
Bournemouth versus Fulham
Premiership Match Day 28 22/23 at Vitality Stadium
Saturday 1st April 2023 KO: 15:00
Referee:
Peter Bankes (Lancashire)
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European-chasing Fulham visit the Vitality Stadium on Saturday to face a Bournemouth resuming their bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Last season's top two in the Championship have experienced contrasting seasons in the top flight this term, with the Cherries currently languishing in 19th place in the table and the Cottagers sitting 10 places further up in ninth spot.
Last season's Championship title winners Fulham were tipped by many to make an immediate return to the second tier this season, but Marco Silva's side are exceeding expectations and are battling to qualify for Europe for the first time in over a decade.
However, the Cottagers hopes of securing a top-seven finish were dented before the international break as they suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats against
Brentford and Arsenal, and they now sit three points behind seventh-placed Brighton & Hove Albion who have two games in hand.
It is fair to say that Fulham's most recent outing was an eventful one, as they were on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline against Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-finals just under two weeks ago, a game they were leading before a minute of madness midway through the second half turned the game on its head.
After Willian was shown a straight red card for handball inside the penalty area, Alexander Mitrovic – who had opened the scoring – was also given his marching orders after pushing referee Chris Kavanagh, while head coach Silva was another who received red for dissent towards the officials.
Fulham's needless capitulation ultimately cost them a place at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals, and both Silva and Mitrovic have since apologised for their actions after being charged by the FA, with the latter potentially facing a lengthy ban greater than his current three-match suspension.
Considering the Cottagers are unbeaten in each of their last eight games against teams currently sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League, Silva's side will fancy their chances of bouncing back from their disappointment at Old Trafford and beginning a strong run of form with a win over Bournemouth, with Saturday's fixture the first of four in succession against relegation-threatened teams.
After ending a five-game winless home run with an impressive 1-0 triumph over Liverpool, Bournemouth were condemned to their 15th Premier League defeat of the season when they lost 3-0 away against Aston Villa before the international break.
No Premier League team have lost more matches (eight), won fewer points (eight) or scored fewer goals (seven) than the Cherries since the World Cup break, and Gary O'Neil's men find themselves in a hotly-contested relegation battle with eight other clubs heading down the home straight.
Despite their poor run of form over the last few months, Bournemouth sit only one point adrift of safety and could climb out of the relegation zone with a victory on Saturday. A draw, however, will likely see them remain in the bottom three as they possess the worst goal difference (-29) in the division.
Sharing the spoils has been a common theme in recent meetings with Fulham, as Bournemouth have drawn each of their last three encounters against the Cottagers, including a 2-2 draw in West London back in August.
The Cherries have lost only two of their last 17 clashes with Fulham overall, though, and they will be confident of success on Saturday considering that they have accumulated 16 of their 24 Premier League points on home soil this season.
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Fulham have won only one of their past 11 league matches against Bournemouth (D5, L5).
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The last three encounters have all ended in draws, with the away side scoring first each time.
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No side have conceded more headed goals in the Premier League this season than Bournemouth's 11, while a league-high 32% of Fulham's goals this season have been headers (12/38). However, the Cottagers will be without Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has scored a third of their headed goals.
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Fulham could lose three consecutive league matches for the first time this season.
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Nine of their 10 league defeats in 2022-23 have come against teams starting the day in the top half of the table.
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Fulham have conceded six goals in their last two Premier League games, having conceded just five in their previous 10.
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The Cottagers could equal their club top-flight record with a sixth away win of the season, originally set in 1960-61 and repeated the following season.
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Manor Solomon has scored four league goals at an average of one every 70 minutes, the best rate of any player with more than three goals in this season's top flight.
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Bournemouth have had the fewest shots (227) and second fewest shots on target (86) of any Premier League side this season. At the other end, they have faced the most shots (457) and shots on target (147).
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Bournemouth have lost three of their last four league games, and only taken 11 points from 17 fixtures.
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They have conceded 54 goals in the Premier League, more than any other team this season, although only 16 of those have come at home.
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The Cherries beat Liverpool in their most recent home match; it's their only win in 15 attempts this season versus teams currently in the top half of the table (D4, L10).
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Dango Ouattara has provided an assist for three of Bournemouth's four Premier League goals at the Vitality Stadium in 2023.
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Source Oliver Thomas at SportsMole