Two sides right next to each other in the Premier League table meet this weekend as Bournemouth take on Fulham.
Bournemouth currently sit 12th in the Premier League with six wins, four draws and seven losses from seventeen games this season.
After a tough start to the season, the Cherries are finally finding their feet under new manager Andoni Iraolo as they appear to be going from strength to strength.
They’re entering this game amidst an outstanding run of form, unbeaten in their last six games having won five of those.
Their latest outing saw them claim a dramatic 3-2 win away at Nottingham Forest with Dominic Solanke wrapping up all three points with a winner in the 94th minute.
The goal was the third of a hat-trick for Solanka which means the 26-year-old is now the joint highest-scoring Englishman in the league this season with eleven goals, a run of form that’s sparking serious discussions of an England recall for the former national team player.
Solanke has been key to what Bournemouth are starting to put together under Iraolo and his multifaceted game makes him one of the most well-rounded strikers in the entire league.
Whether Bournemouth can keep hold of Solanke beyond January is a worry for them because if rumours are to be believed then he’s being courted by a number of top clubs in England, and with the money they’d be willing to put down it might be tough to say no if Solanke himself puts his foot down.
Regardless, they need to keep trying to accumulate points while they’ve still got him in their ranks and because of him they come into this game as serious favourites.
Fulham currently sit 13th in the Premier League with six wins, three draws and nine losses from eighteen games this season.
The Cottagers are having a solid but unremarkable campaign in the Premier League this time around as they sit harmlessly in mid-table.
They’re coming into this game in solid form having won three and lost two of their last five games in all competitions, the most recent of which was a 0-2 loss at home to Burnley.
The loss to Burnley was a poor one for Fulham but they may well put it down to a hangover from facing Everton in the League Cup in midweek, where a place in the semi-finals was on the line, which ended in them winning a dramatic penalty shootout.
The successive 5-0 wins against Nottingham Forest and West Ham earlier in the month means they have credit in the bank so even after losing at home to a side in the relegation zone it’s probably fair to say it was little more than an off day.
They’ll desperately want to right the wrongs of that game here but they’re facing one of the league’s in-form sides and with star striker Raul Jimenez still suspended they’ll find it difficult to take three points from this one.
For our Bournemouth vs. Fulham prediction, we’re going for a 2-1 win for the home side.
