Preview: Bournemouth vs Lincoln City - prediction, team news, lineups

Still waiting for their first win of the season, Bournemouth will welcome Lincoln City to the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday for a showdown in the third round of the EFL Cup.

The Cherries are hoping to build on their draw last time out, while the Imps are cautiously optimistic after going unbeaten for four games.

Match preview

Bournemouth have endured a mixed start to the 2026-27 campaign, and new manager Marco Rose is in need of a victory to kickstart the season.

However, with one eye on their Europa League clash against Real Sociedad on September 17, the Cherries cannot afford to be at maximum strength in midweek.

Regardless of the circumstances, Rose will be keen to avoid extending his side's winless run to four matches, following their frustrating 2-2 draw with Newcastle United on Saturday.

To be fair to Bournemouth, they have proven dangerous going forward in the Premier League this term by scoring first in each of their three outings so far, but they remain frail in defence, having surrendered a lead in every match.

The Cherries will see a cup clash against a second-tier opponent on home turf as the ideal scenario to finally win a game, though Tuesday's hosts will need to solidify their backline and stay concentrated to prevent an upset.

Meanwhile, Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw's Lincoln have battled through two rounds of the EFL Cup to reach this stage, and should not be underestimated.

The Imps may reside 17th in the Championship, but they earned promotion to the division after lifting the League One title in 2025-26 to end a 65-year absence, and come into this clash in commendable form.

Cohen and Shaw co-managed the team to a 1-1 stalemate against Southampton on Saturday, collecting a point and marking a fourth game on the bounce without defeat.

That resilience will give fans of the underdogs a sense of quiet hope in midweek, as will the fact that their side have won three of their last four away matches.

Adding to that feeling are Lincoln's preceding EFL Cup victories - 2-1 against Derby County and 4-1 against Blackpool - both of which were achieved on the road.

Bournemouth form (all competitions):

Lincoln City EFL Cup form:

Lincoln City form (all competitions):

Team News

Bournemouth are likely to make wholesale changes, but are still without 19-year-old centre-back Veljko Milosavljevic, and right-back Julian Araujo, who is recovering from a thigh injury.

In their absence, the Cherries could start James Hill and Bafode Diakite at the heart of defence, flanked by Adam Smith and Julio Soler.

At the opposite end of the pitch, Eli Junior Kroupi and Amine Adli remain sidelined due to respective foot and calf injuries, though Ben Gannon-Doak, Ryan Christie and David Brooks should be on hand to form an attacking trio behind striker Daniel Jebbison.

As for Lincoln, they lost captain and right-back Tendayi Darikwa to an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Portsmouth on August 22, and he is set to be out of action for the rest of the season.

With that in mind, Daniel Oyegoke and Callum Elder may start as wing-backs, flanking a three-man defence featuring Andrei Coubis, Adam Jackson and Ryley Towler.

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:

Di Gregorio; Smith, Hill, Diakite, Soler; Cook, Scott; Gannon-Doak, Christie, Brooks; Jebbison

Lincoln City possible starting lineup:

Gauci; Coubis, Jackson, Towler; Oyegoke, Bayliss, Konak, Elder; Melia; Olaofe, Street

We say: Bournemouth 1-1 (4-3 on pens) Lincoln City

Bournemouth are expected to make a whole host of changes in lieu of their Europa League debut later this month, and could be caught off guard by their Championship opponents.

However, the Cherries should still be able to prevail by a narrow margin, but may be taken to penalties by a resilient Lincoln.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.