Bournemouth welcome Crawley Town to the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday evening in this FA Cup fourth round tie.
The game was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday, but a coronavirus outbreak at the League Two club forced the fixture to be rearranged.
Match preview
© Reuters
The Cherries defeated another fourth-tier team in Oldham Athletic in the previous round via a convincing 4-1 thrashing.
However, Jason Tindall's team have struggled for form since then. One draw and two defeats while on league duties have followed, meaning the south coast club have slipped to sixth position in the Championship standings.
Bournemouth are the second tier's top scorers, but the goals have dried up in recent weeks. Tindall's charges have failed to find the back of the net on their last two outings, something they will be desperate to rectify in midweek.
While promotion back to the Premier League will undoubtedly be Tindall's priority for 2020-21, a good cup run could prove pivotal for his side's morale during this difficult patch.
Whoever comes away victorious on Tuesday will be rewarded with a trip to either Fulham or Burnley in the fifth round - two teams that Bournemouth would relish facing and fancy their chances of getting past to reach the last eight of the competition.
© Reuters
Crawley produced the biggest shock of the third round by defeating Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United 3-0 thanks to second-half goals from Nick Tsaroulla, Ashley Nadesan and Jordan Tunnicliffe.
However, John Yems's side have not played since that impressive victory earlier in the month due to a COVID-19 outbreak at the club.
Their game with Stevenage Town was postponed due to several positive test results forcing many first-team players to self-isolate.
The Broadfield Stadium outfit are currently sitting in mid-table in League Two but are just three points outside of the playoff places with a game in hand over most teams around them.
A win on Tuesday would be another magnificent result for the Red Devils, in what is shaping up to be a memorable season for them.
Bournemouth FA Cup form: W
Bournemouth form (all competitions): LWWDLL
Crawley Town FA Cup form: WWW
Crawley Town form (all competitions): DWDWWW
Team News
© Reuters
Tindall has the luxury of a fully-fit squad to choose from for this cup clash, although the Cherries boss may decide to rotate his squad given the hectic schedule.
Back-up goalkeeper Will Dennis could make his second appearance of the campaign, while fellow youngsters Gavin Kilkenny and Jordan Zemura will also be hoping to feature from the off.
Former Arsenal and West Ham midfielder Jack Wilshere re-signed for the club on Monday after departing the Hammers on a free transfer and could be in line for his first start in his second stint on the south coast.
Crawley Town lost top-scorer Max Watters to Cardiff City earlier in the transfer window, and the 21-year old's departure will be a big blow for Yems.
Nadesan did a good job of leading the line against Leeds, though, and the centre-forward will be relishing the opportunity to test himself against higher opposition once again.
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Dennis; Stacey, Carter-Vickers, Simpson, Zemura; Billing, Kilkenny, Gosling; Brooks, King, Riquelme
Crawley Town possible starting lineup:
Morris; Dallison, Tunnicliffe, Craig, Davies; Francomb, Hessenthaler, Matthews, Powell; Nichols, Nadesan
We say: Bournemouth 2-1 Crawley Town
The FA Cup is the competition of giant killings, and although Crawley are more than capable of producing another shock result against a stuttering Bournemouth side, we fancy Tindall's men to get the job done after a closely fought encounter.
Top betting tip
George Cannon
