0
0
Premier League – Bournemouth vs. Luton Town: After witnessing their Andoni Iraola-led comeback reach unprecedented heights the previous weekend, Bournemouth looks to further enhance their Premier League survival hopes on Saturday when they play Luton Town at the Vitality Stadium.
In gameweek 16, the Cherries destroyed Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford, while the Hatters heroically battled against Manchester City but ultimately fell short by a score of 2-1.
It would be somewhat misleading to state that Bournemouth silenced the Old Trafford crowd on Saturday, when Man United’s struggling players limped off the field to the sound of jeers from their own fans after being outmatched, outplayed, and humiliated by Iraola’s excellent Cherries.
After just five minutes, Dominic Solanke had broken through the Red Devils defence.
Bournemouth then exposed Man United’s weaknesses in the air, as Marcos Senesi and Philip Billing both scored from deliveries by Marcus Tavernier in the second half, and Dango Ouattara’s injury-time effort was disallowed for a handball.
Thousands of Man United supporters chose to take an early train home, but those who stuck around to the very end expressed their emotions, and the Bournemouth supporters celebrated what Adam Smith called his team’s biggest victory in recent memory.
The triumph at the Theatre of Dreams marked one of the division’s best teams’ fourth win in five Premier League games.
They have scored two goals or more in each of those games and have risen to 14th place, comfortably ahead of their next opponents Luton in the drop zone by a healthy 10-point margin.
Read More: Fulham Secures Long-Term Commitment from Bernd Leno Until 2027
Only Liverpool (17) has more points from their previous seven Premier League games than the Cherries (16).
The hosts are also riding a three-game winning streak against newly promoted teams before a dejected Luton makes an appearance.
Luton welcomed Manchester City, another of the division’s titans, to their newly refurbished surroundings after coming so near but so far to denying Arsenal victory at Kenilworth Road.
In the current top-flight campaign, not a single team has been able to win by more than one goal.
Elijah Adebayo’s header past the Citizens’ defence put Hatters history on the verge of being written, but a second-half barrage from the champions saw Bernardo Silva’s exquisite curler and Jack Grealish’s finish through Thomas Kaminski’s legs turn the tide in their favour.
Even though Rob Edwards and company should be incredibly proud of their players’ performances against Man City and Arsenal, Luton’s inability to hold onto their slim leads against the title contenders puts them in 18th place and prevents them from climbing back to safety for the time being; Everton, in 17th place, is four points ahead.
Luton, who are yet to record a Premier League clean sheet, suffered their third straight league defeat at the hands of Manchester City last weekend.
However, a four-game scoring run gives them a slim chance to put out the Bournemouth fire.
Additionally, Luton had won two of their previous three meetings with Bournemouth prior to the Cherries’ 2022 return to the Premier League table; however, Bournemouth prevailed 2-1 in the most recent Championship match at the Vitality in September 2021 thanks to goals from Solanke and Billing in the first half.
Bournemouth Premier League form:
L W W D W W
Luton Town Premier League form:
D L W L L L
After their historic victory over Manchester United, none of the Bournemouth players reported any health issues.
This was a relief for Iraola, who has to continue working around a long list of injuries that include Tyler Adams (thigh), Alex Scott (knee), Emiliano Marcondes (foot), Darren Randolph (illness), Ryan Fredericks (calf), Lloyd Kelly (hamstring), and Max Aarons (thigh).
Despite not being able to play in the victory over the Red Devils due to a fever earlier in the month, Hamed Traore, 23, is unlikely to be called up to the starting lineup even if his immune system recovers in time for Saturday.
Billing’s goal off the bench puts the Dane in a great position to unseat Antoine Semenyo, but Iraola should stick with the rest of his Old Trafford starts.
Regarding Luton, Issa Kabore, the right-back, is back at Edwards’ disposal after missing last weekend’s match against parent club Man City due to a pair of yellow cards. However, Marvellous Nakamba has been banned.
Fortunately for Edwards, he has an abundance of choices in midfield as Ross Barkley, who has been regressing the years in the Hatters engine room, together with Albert Sambi Lokonga, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, and Tahith Chong, may fill in for Nakamba.
The visitors’ four injured players are Cauley Woodrow (calf), Dan Potts (ankle), Reece Burke (thigh), and Gabriel Osho (knee).
Edwards is optimistic that Osho will be well enough to play in the south.
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Neto; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Billing, Cook; Kluivert, Christie, Tavernier; Solanke
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Kaminshi; Osho, Mengi, Lockyer; Kabore, Mpanzu, Barkley, Doughty; Townsend, Adebayo, Brown
Our prediction for this match 2-1 or 3-2 won by Bournemouth
