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Bournemouth logo
Premier League | Gameweek 35
Jul 12, 2020 at 7pm UK
Vitality Stadium
Leicester logo

Bournemouth
4 - 1
Leicester

Stanislas (65' pen.), Solanke (67', 87'), Evans (83' og.)
Gosling (32'), Stanislas (86')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Vardy (23')
Ndidi (65')

Preview: Bournemouth vs. Leicester City - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Sunday's Premier League clash between Bournemouth and Leicester City, including team news and predicted lineups.

Two sides in desperate need of three points for entirely different reasons will lock horns in the Premier League on Sunday evening as Bournemouth welcome Leicester City to the Vitality Stadium.

Bournemouth currently lie three points adrift of safety as things stand, whereas Leicester's top-four standing is in jeopardy following just one win since the restart.


Match preview

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe pictured on July 1, 2020© Reuters

Bournemouth produced a terrific display of defensive resilience to keep Tottenham Hotspur at bay and play out a goalless stalemate with the North London outfit, and that point could yet prove vital in their bid to avoid the drop.

Indeed, the Cherries now only have a gap of three points separating them from safety, although 17th-placed Watford could double that advantage over their fellow relegation rivals with victory over Newcastle United the day before.

However, the game against Spurs could have panned out in an entirely different fashion for Bournemouth as Harry Kane was denied a penalty following a shove by Joshua King - a decision which the league has since admitted was incorrect.

The Cherries were given their own taste of technological frustration in the dying embers of the game too, as Callum Wilson's acrobatic effort was ruled out following a handball by King.

Nevertheless, Eddie Howe's men managed to end their five-game losing streak to give themselves that little glimmer of hope for survival, although the Cherries still have to face the daunting task of an away fixture at Manchester City next Wednesday.

Every Bournemouth fan will be pinning their hopes on Newcastle to take all three points at Watford on Saturday, although even if the Cherries do manage to pick up victory over Leicester in this perfect case scenario, they may remain in the bottom three by means of goal difference depending on the respective scorelines.

Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy celebrates scoring against Arsenal on July 7, 2020© Reuters

Leicester City went into their clash with Arsenal knowing that another three points would firmly cement their position in the Champions League places at this stage of the campaign.

However, the Foxes were made to work for a point as Jamie Vardy's second-half equaliser cancelled out golden boot rival Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's opener at the Emirates, although Leicester may have struggled to salvage a draw had Eddie Nketiah not been given his marching orders following a VAR review.

Brendan Rodgers's men have only managed to record one victory since the Premier League was given the green light to resume, and with an in-form Manchester United side currently just one point behind the Foxes, all four of Leicester's remaining games are must win, no questions asked.

The trip to the South Coast to face a struggling Bournemouth side is followed up by three challenging fixtures against Sheffield United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, meaning that Leicester fans will be anxiously holding their breath as their side aspires to secure a route back into the Champions League.

However, the draw at the Emirates means that Leicester are winless in their last five matches away from home, although Vardy appears to have rediscovered his scoring touch at the perfect time for the Foxes and will be hoping to add to his 22-goal tally for the season on Sunday.

A brace from Vardy and a Youri Tielemans tap-in gave Leicester a 3-1 victory earlier in the campaign, with Callum Wilson notching up Bournemouth's goal at the King Power Stadium.

Bournemouth Premier League form: LLLLLD

Leicester City Premier League form: WDDLWL
Leicester City form (all competitions): DDLLWL


Team News

James Maddison in action for Leicester on June 20, 2020© Reuters

Adam Smith was stretchered off against Spurs following a nasty-looking collision with Ben Davies, and while Howe has confirmed the Cherries defender is doing well, Smith may not make the starting lineup for this one.

David Brooks was also withdrawn as a precautionary measure on Thursday, meaning that Harry Wilson could start on the right flank with Jack Stacey occupying the right-back spot in Smith's absence.

Charlie Daniels, Chris Mepham and Simon Francis are all nursing injuries and unavailable for Bournemouth.

As far as Leicester are concerned, Rodgers has confirmed that James Maddison and Ben Chilwell will be forced to miss out the trip to the Vitality.

The England duo may return in time for the trip to Sheffield United, but for now Chilwell and Maddison will join Daniel Amartey and Ricardo Pereira in the medical room.

Demarai Gray will be hoping that his assist against Arsenal is enough to earn him a start this weekend, and Dennis Praet may be given a run out in the middle of the park.

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Ramsdale; Stacey, Ake, Kelly, Rico; Brooks, Lerma, Gosling, Stanislas; C. Wilson, King

Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Bennett, Evans, Soyuncu; Justin, Ndidi, Praet, Albrighton; Gray, Vardy, Perez


Sports Mole Logo

We say: Bournemouth 0-1 Leicester City

Leicester will view the clash with Bournemouth as possibly their friendliest remaining fixture of the 2019-20 campaign, but the Cherries should feel optimistic following their dogged display against Spurs. We are not expecting many goals in this fixture, but Leicester should have enough to edge out a narrow victory and keep their Champions League hopes alive.



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Written by
Ben Knapton

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Leicester City win with a probability of 59.6%. A draw had a probability of 21.4% and a win for Bournemouth had a probability of 18.98%.

The most likely scoreline for a Leicester City win was 1-2 with a probability of 9.95%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (9.82%) and 0-2 (9.73%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.05%), while for a Bournemouth win it was 2-1 (5.14%). The actual scoreline of 4-1 was predicted with a 0.4% likelihood.


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Bournemouth's Callum Wilson celebrates scoring their third goal on January 21, 2020
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


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