Newcastle make the long trip to Bournemouth for their second Premier League game of the season looking to make it two wins from two, while their hosts search for their first victory.
Date: 25/08/24
Kick-off time: 14:00
Venue: Vitality Stadium
Bournemouth had a solid campaign last year in which they finished in 12th place, a position they believe can be improved upon this year under manager Andoni Iraola. This will be the Spaniard’s second season in charge. The Cherries were led by Dominic Solanke’s 19 goals last season, but after his £65m departure to Tottenham, they now have a significant hole to fill. They will hope to do so with the signing of Evanilson, who joined for £40.2m in a club record deal from Porto.
In addition, they also welcomed Luis Sinisterra from Leeds and Enes Unal from Getafe to bolster their frontline. It was much needed for a side who were amongst the lowest scorers in the league. Out of the three, only Sinisterra was involved last week, as a late Antoine Semenyo goal salvaged a point. Semenyo was the side’s second top scorer with eight, and should continue to thrive with the added quality around him. They will be expecting even more fortune this week with the potential inclusion of their new signings.
However, they will be facing a Newcastle side who kept a clean sheet in their opener at home to Southampton, despite playing the majority of the game with 10 men. They won the game 1-0, as they begin their quest to return to European football.
Eddie Howe’s side ended last year in seventh, but they have the quality to once again battle for the top four. Only Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer scored more goals than Alexander Isak last season, and he is being tipped for another excellent campaign, with the likes of Anthony Gordon supporting him in attack. With no European distractions and full focus on the league, this Newcastle side should pose a serious threat to those around them.
This will be just the 20th meeting between these two sides. There has been very little to split the pair with seven wins for Newcastle and six for Bournemouth. In eight games between 2018 and 2023, the Magpies enjoyed an unbeaten stretch, but they are now winless in the last three, which included defeat away from home last season. Their game at the Vitality ended 2-0 to the hosts, with a brace from Solanke condemning them to a loss. The reverse fixture in February ended honours even, 2-2 the final result. Newcastle had to come from behind twice to salvage a point, including a 92nd minute Matt Ritchie equaliser.
Newcastle will be looking to continue their perfect start to the season, whilst Bournemouth are hoping to improve on their opening game draw. We expect there to be nothing to split the two teams in this early season matchup, with a high scoring draw on the cards.
The Cherries will likely be bolstered by the presence of new club record signing Evanilson, who was brought in to fill the void left by the recently departed Dominic Solanke. Look for the forward to trouble a backline who will be without the suspended Fabian Schar. Last season, Evanilson scored 13 in 25 starts for Porto, so he should be a key figure in this one.
This has been a very competitive fixture in recent seasons, with three of the least five meetings ending in a draw. Each side has scored at least once in the previous six meetings, with the BBTS market landing in four of the last five. Two of the last six have ended 2-2, and this is the result we are going for here – Bournemouth 2-2 Newcastle