Premier League: Fulham Keen on Overtaking the Cherries

Fulham vs AFC Bournemouth

Two of the most levelled teams in the Premier League will have the chance to break the tie and trend in the right direction as Fulham play host to Bournemouth in the iconic Craven Cottage for a trend-setting Matchday 24 clash.

Both teams have suffered the same fate in their last five top-flight matches, winning just once, losing two, and drawing twice.

As it stands, the Cherries are ahead of the Cottagers by just one point in the Premier League standings, but everything could change if Fulham manages to grab three points after their tie.

Talking Points

Super Solanke trying his best to keep the ship afloat

Not many strides have been taken by the Cherries to bolster their bid to be one of the best clubs in the top flight, but to their defence, they’ve managed to float above the relegation zone ever since their promotion back to the big leagues last season.

The brightest spot this season for the Cherries is the stellar season of Dominic Solanke. The 26-year-old forward is having a breakout season with Bournemouth, scoring 13 goals thus far. Only the Premier League legends Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah are ahead of Super Solanke in the EPL Golden Boot race.

“I don’t think there’s a centre-forward in the Premier League or the Championship who would be pumping out the physical numbers Dominic Solanke does in terms of a physical aspect,” former Bournemouth boss Scott Parker boasted.

To have a player of Solanke’s tier is something numerous clubs could only dream of, and now, it’s all up to Bournemouth’s higher-ups to one: keep Solanke happy, and two: give him support and build a team that can cater to and play off of his offencive prowess.

The question for Bournemouth now is: Is Solanke’s production enough to garner favourable Premier League 2024 results by the end of the season?

Raul Jimenez will miss time

Medical scans revealed the severity of Raul JImenez’s hamstring injury against Everton last month and he is set to mess at least a month of action.

“When you have an issue in your hamstring, it is not a good sign. When you play three games in seven days, intense games, there is always a risk. It has not been easy to rotate. If we were short (in numbers) before the game, we will be shorter now.” Fulham manager Marco Silva stated.

The absence of Fulham’s veteran striker deals a significant blow to Marco Silva and Fulham, as Jimenez poses as their leading goal scorer alongside Willian and Bobby De Cordova-Reid with five goals apiece.

Fulham have already been quite tepid in their final third this season. Their conversion rate has dropped from 12.8 per cent last year to 12.4 per cent this term, and losing their centre-forward will pose a significant setback for their offence even more.

History

Since 2009, these outfits have jousted just 11 times, and in those matches, Fulham only managed to win once, while Bournemouth have won five times and were able to tally five draws as well.

Fulham haven’t won against Bournemouth in Craven Cottage since 2009, so that’s an aspect to consider when looking to bet on this match.

During their last matchup, the Cherries blew past the Cottagers with a 3-0 clean sheet win thanks to goals from Justin Kluivert, Dominic Solanke, and Luis Sinisterra.

In recent form, these clubs are neck-and-neck in the standings, tallying five points in their last five Premier League matches. The Cherries have just a one-point lead over Fulham, but that could all change after the smoke clears in Craven Cottage this Friday.

Betting Tip

Both Fulham and Bournemouth have shown somewhat of a pedestrian effort in the goal-scoring department in their last few Premier League matches. Bournemouth have just three top-flight goals since the new year, while the Cottagers only have two. Which is why my betting tip is Total Goals Under 2.75 neatly priced at 1.90.

In terms of their main lines, the SBOTOP Premier League 2024 betting odds have these outfits priced unsurprisingly close to each other. Fulham boast a slight favourites status with a price of 2.38, while Bournemouth are right there as the minor underdogs at 2.66. In my opinion, if punters would consider betting on their main lines, their draw price of 3.26 is the way to go. These clubs are virtually identical in terms of form coming into their Matchday 24 bout, and a price of 3.26 justifies just that. To go with either side is not much of a stretch, but a price of 3.26 to draw seems to be the soundest of options.

 

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