Week 6 of the 2024/25 Premier League season concludes when Bournemouth take on Southampton on Monday night.
Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium will host this battle between two south coast sides, with the Cherries aiming to ignite their season against newly promoted Saints.
Andoni Iraola suffered a slow start to his tenure at the Cherries last season and Bournemouth have started in a similar vein this time around. The Spanish side have picked up five points from as many games and were recently denied by Liverpool at Anfield.
The signs were ominous Southampton during the opening weeks of the season but their performance levels have improved considerably since the international break and they picked up their first point of the season against Ipswich Town last time out. Russell Martin’s side were minutes away from securing all three points before Sam Morsy struck with a deflected effort from range in stoppage time.
However, their recent improvement will give the visitors the confidence to post a positive result at Vitality on Monday.
here it is 90 minutes guides this week’s iteration of the Monday Night Game.
Bournemouth vs Southampton H2H Record (Last Five Matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Bournemouth |
Southampton |
|---|---|
|
Liverpool 3-0 Bournemouth – 21/09/24 |
Southampton 1-1 Ipswich Town – 21/09/24 |
|
Bournemouth – Chelsea 0-1 – 14/09/24 |
Everton 1-1 (5-6p) Southampton – 17/09/24 |
|
Everton 2-3 Bournemouth – 31/08/24 |
Southampton 0-3 Man Utd – 14/09/24 |
|
West Ham 1-0 Bournemouth – 28/08/24 |
Brentford 3-1 Southampton – 31/08/24 |
|
Bournemouth – Newcastle 1-1 – 25/08/24 |
Cardiff 3-5 Southampton – 28/08/24 |
|
country |
TV channel/live broadcast |
|---|---|
|
united kingdom |
Sky Go UK, NOW, SKY GO Extra, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, TalkSport Radio UK, BBC Radio 5 Live |
|
united states |
fuboTV, nbcsports.com, NBC Sports App, UNIVERSO NOW, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, USA Network, UNIVERSO, SiriusXM FC |
|
canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network Canada |
Tyler Adams remains out for the home team, but the USMNT international is expected to be Bournemouththe only notable absentee.
Adam Smith and Marcos Senesi are candidates to return to Iraola’s starting eleven after dropping to the bench at Anfield. Enes Unal is likely to battle summer arrival Evanilson for a starting spot up front.
Antoine Semenyo has been the star for the Cherries at the start of the new season and will continue on Monday night on their right flank.
Bournemouth v Southampton predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Cook, Christie; Semenyo, Kluivert, Tavernier; Unal
Martin has offered some tactical flexibility in the first month of the season, with the Saints boss switching between three and four. Southampton have had more success with a four-man defense in recent weeks, so they will likely stick with that system on Monday night.
The visitors are without Gavin Bazunu, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Will Smallbone through injury, although Smallbone is believed to be closing in on a return.
Tyler Dibling is the man at right-back for Southampton, with the teenager scoring his first Premier League goal against Ipswich last time out.
Expected line-up for Southampton v Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; Sugawara, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Taylor; Lallana, Downes; Dibling, Fernandes, Fraser; archer
Bournemouth’s start pales in comparison to their early-season woes under Iraola in his debut campaign, but the Cherries could clinch second. Premier League win the new campaign to help her burst into life.
This is an intriguing tactical battle and it will be interesting to see which side takes the lead. Bournemouth’s pressure should come to the fore against a Saints side looking to build from the back and the Cherries’ ability to regain possession up the pitch could be key.
Martin could do with being a bit more pragmatic by opting for relentless complexity in deeper areas. A more direct possession game would serve the visitors well, but there is unlikely to be a drastic change in the Saints boss’ philosophy.
