Premier League Bournemouth vs Brighton
As the Premier league is reaching its peak, the match between Bournemouth and Brighton is about to held within a couple of hours, the hosts will be enjoying a solid campaign and are now making an unimaginable push for European football. Brighton were held to a 2-2 draw by Leicester City in their last league game, with 18-year-old Evan Ferguson coming off the bench to score a late equaliser, before beating Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup at the last week. Brighton are positioned sixth in the league table, with 31 points from 19 games.
Bournemouth in Premier League
Bournemouth, have struggled to get what they need to sustain in English football, finding themselves in the drop zone. They played out a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest last time out. Bournemouth looked set to come away with all three points before their opponents picked them back late on.
Bournemouth, are winless in their last seven matches, although they did end a six-match losing run by drawing 1-1 with Nottingham Forest last time out.
The Seagulls sit sixth in the standings, while Bournemouth are in the relegation zone in 18th.
Marcus Tavernier, Philip Billing, Dominic Solanke, Junior Stanislas and Ryan Fredericks are all doubts for Bournemouth, while David Brooks and Lewis Cook are out.
Bournemouth are among a number of Premier League sides interested in signing Lorient winger Dango Ouattara in this transfer window, with a strong connection emerging between the two clubs.
Ouattara has five goals and four assists in 16 games for Lorient this season in Ligue 1 and his performances have attracted admiring eyes from across the Channel with the Cherries, Everton and Leicester City all keen on the Burkina Faso international.
Foley has conceded that Bournemouth could make up to five signings in this window and while head coach Gary O’Neil admits he will have a say in potential new arrivals, it’s not a primary aspect of his remit.
Brighton’s Path in Premier League
Roberto De Zerbi’s side(Brighton) are on a good run and head into this clash on a high after knocking Liverpool out of the FA Cup last weekend to extend their unbeaten run to five games in all competitions for this season.
Brighton suffered a big loss when in-form Evan Ferguson limped off against Liverpool and the teenager joins Adam Lallana, Facundo Buonanotte, Jakub Moder and Levi Colwil in the treatment room.
Argentina’s World Cup-winning star Alexis Mac Allister is suspended, while Moises Caicedo could be drafted back into the squad now that the transfer window has shut with the Ecuadorian still at the club, despite trying to force a move to Arsenal.
Harvey Elliott had broken the deadlock for the Merseyside giants in the first half, but Lewis Dunk – perhaps unknowingly – diverted Tariq Lamptey’s volley into the back of Liverpool’s net before Mitoma’s delightful volley sealed Brighton’s place in round five late on.
Having seen Leandro Trossard move to Arsenal and Moises Caicedo go public with his own desire to join him, Roberto De Zerbi did a magnificent job at ignoring the off-field distractions threatening to derail his team, who have four wins and a draw to show from their last five games in all tournaments.
The outlier in that sequence was a slightly disappointing 2-2 draw with Leicester City in their last Premier League game, but the goal-happy Seagulls remain firmly in European contention, sitting sixth in the table and five points behind Tottenham Hotspur, who have played two games more.
Dunk and Mitoma’s strikes against Liverpool saw Brighton score at least two goals in a game for the seventh match running, and only Arsenal (28) and Manchester City (30) have scored more in the Premier League than Brighton’s 26 under De Zerbi, and even a reinforced Bournemouth defence should not be expecting miracles on Saturday.
