Europe-chasing Bournemouth are eager to bounce back from their cup disappointment and make a mark against relegation-threatened Ipswich Town.
Andoni Iraola was on course to have a stellar finish to an already impressive campaign, as the Bournemouth fans were already dreaming of watching their team play at Wembley; next up for the Cherries are Ipswich Town.
The Cherries suffered a defeat at the hands of Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-final, despite a dominant performance in the first half when they took the lead as well, while Kepa Arrizabalaga saved a penalty from Erling Haaland.
Pep Guardiola made some tactical tweaks in the second half to overcome the Cherries, as goals from Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush sealed a place in the FA Cup semi-finals. Iraola will be particularly gutted by the outcome, although the loss was a theme of their recent performances, as Bournemouth have not won their last four games in the league, while only winning against Wolves on penalties in the FA Cup’s previous round.
With those performances in the Premier League, Bournemouth have also slipped out of the European places ahead of the midweek clash with Ipswich Town. However, due to the tight nature of the race for European spots, Bournemouth are only five points off fourth-placed Chelsea, as there’s every possibility of featuring in one of the Continental competitions should they improve their form between now and the end of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Ipswich Town have failed to capitalise on their chances to climb up the table, with four consecutive losses in the Premier League. They are also winless in six games across all competitions, as the chances of their survival in the top division continue to shrink with every passing game week.
As things stand, Kieran McKenna’s side are nine points behind 17th-placed Wolves, as another set of dropped points as well as the Midlands side gaining results will further damage their hopes. It’s already a difficult gap to overcome and steer towards safety, as the Tractor Boys, alongside fellow newly promoted sides Leicester City and Southampton are all but destined to play football in the Championship next season.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
Marcus Tavernier will miss out on this game as well as a few others as the attacker has an ankle problem that will keep him out for a further two weeks. Enes Unal is a long-term absentee with an ACL rupture, while Luis Sinisterra and Julian Araujo are also out of contention.
On the positive side, Andoni Iraola will have key defenders Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen available after serving a suspension against Manchester City in the FA Cup. They should slot alongside Lewis Cook and Illia Zabarnyi in the back four for Bournemouth.
Ryan Christie and Tyler Adams should hold the central midfield positions, while Justin Kluivert is the preferred choice in the attacking midfield position. With some wide attackers still missing, David Brooks and Antoine Semenyo should cover the wide berths, while Evanilson should lead the line for Bournemouth against Ipswich Town on Wednesday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Cook, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Christie, Adams; Brooks, Kluivert, Semenyo; Evanilson
Ipswich Town
There are a few injury concerns with Ipswich Town with forward Sammie Szmodics out with an ankle problem, while Conor Chaplin will miss out with a knee issue. Other absentees include Axel Tuanzebe, Arijanet Muric, Chiedozie Obgene, and Wes Burns ahead of this trip to the Vitality.
As for the midfield unit, Jens Cajuste and Kalvin Phillips are penciled in for the central midfield berths, while Omari Hutchinson might feature in the No.10 role rather than on the right wing.
On the wide roles, Jaden Philogene is the ideal choice on the right-hand side, while Brighton loanee Julio Enciso will feature on the left wing as Liam Delap continues to lead the line for Kieran McKenna’s side. Jacob Greaves and Luke Woolfenden are the likely choices for the central defensive parii, with Dara O’Shea and Leif Davis stationed in the full-back roles.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Palmer; O’Shea, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Phillips, Cajuste; Philogene, Hutchinson, Enciso; Delap
Key Stats
Bournemouth have won one of their last six games across all competitions.
Bournemouth have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last seven games across all competitions.
Ipswich Town have lost eight of their last nine matches in the Premier League.
Ipswich Town have conceded at least two goals in eight of their last ten matches in the Premier League.
Antoine Semenyo has attempted 101 Premier League shots this season, a figure exceeded by only Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer and Erling Haaland. The Ghanaian has scored seven times, a shot conversion rate of 6.9%.
Player to Watch
Evanilson
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The Brazilian’s return to fitness has been a boost for Andoni Iraola, as he has taken no time in finding his scoring boots. The striker has scored in two of his four games during this period, including in the cup clash against Manchester City. So, the Bournemouth manager will be banking on Evanilson in a big way in the final run-in.
While Bournemouth have done alright despite missing the striker for long periods, his return will be a massive boost, and probably the difference between the Cherries playing European football next season and not. Iraola will want Evanilson fit and firing against Ipswich Town, to potentially help Bournemouth out of their current winless run.
Prediction
Bournemouth 3-1 Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town have been terrible with their form as well as defensive output, as they have conceded at least two goals in eight of their last ten games in the Premier League. Kieran McKenna’s side are under tremendous pressure to collect a much-needed win to keep the hopes of survival alive, although that may not transpire at the Vitality Stadium.
Bournemouth will have wanted such a fixture to bounce back from their recent bad form, and they could potentially break the run of winless games against Ipswich Town. The Cherries are expected to take all three points, although they could allow the visitors to score at some stage in the game. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Andoni Iraola and his charges.