Bournemouth’s hopes of avoiding being sucked deeper into a Premier League relegation battle are at stake as mid-table Crystal Palace arrive at the Vitality Stadium on New Year’s Eve.
After a 2-0 defeat at Chelsea on Tuesday, the honeymoon period under newly-appointed Gary O’Neil is gone, with the Cherries getting ever closer to being drawn into a season-long fight against the drop.
Having suffered five defeats across their last six league outings (W1), they come into the final Premier League round of 2022 only three points clear of 18th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Bournemouth’s underwhelming run of five winless top-flight travels (D2, L3) puts more weight on their home games, but the reality looks disturbing even at the Vitality Stadium.
O’Neil’s men have failed to trouble the scoreboard in four of their last seven home matches in the Premier League (W2, D2, L3), which could be a fatal factor against defensively stubborn Palace.
Patrick Vieira’s side failed to live up to that tag on Boxing Day as two red cards massively contributed to their embarrassing 3-0 home defeat to out-of-form Fulham.
Condemned to another season-long struggle in mid-table lethargy, the Eagles have blown hot and cold across their last four league fixtures (W2, L2) and are still only six points away from the drop zone.
Vieira’s men have done little to bolster their bid to secure a top-half Premier League finish for the first time since 2014/15, failing to must a shot on target in their last two league outings.
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Bournemouth
New Year’s Eve fixtures have recently proved fruitful for Bournemouth as they’ve won their last two league matches played on this day, though their H2H record against Palace tells a different story.
The Cherries have picked up just two triumphs in their ten Premier League encounters against the London outfit overall (D4, L4), most recently beating them in October 2018.
But after dispatching fellow relegation rivals Everton 3-0 in their last Premier League game at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth could win back-to-back top-flight home games for the first time since February 2020.
Crystal Palace
Having won only once in their first seven Premier League clashes against Bournemouth (D4, L2), Palace have won the last three against the Cherries in a row by an aggregate score of 8-3.
More encouragingly, they’ve kept this opposition at bay three times across their five top-flight duels at the Vitality Stadium, a feat they’ve failed to achieve on their last three league travels.
Indeed, playing outside Selhurst Park has been Palace’s ‘Achilles heel’ of late, as they’ve mustered just one victory on their last nine road trips in the Premier League (D4, L4).
Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace Potential Line-ups
Bournemouth (4-3-3): Mark Travers; Adam Smith, Marcos Senesi, Lloyd Kelly, Jordan Zemura; Lewis Cook, Jefferson Lerma, Philip Billing; Ryan Christie, Dominic Solanke, Jaidon Anthony.
Crystal Palace (4-3-3): Vicente Guaita; Nathaniel Clyne, Joachim Anderson, Marc Guehi, Joel Ward; Michael Olise, Cheick Doucoure, Jeffrey Schlupp; Eberechi Eze, Odsonne Edouard, Wilfried Zaha.
How to Watch?
Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace, alongside all other fixtures in England’s top flight, is available to watch online via live Premier League streams.
Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace Prediction
With both sides coming into this showdown after losing their league matches earlier this week, staying undefeated has become increasingly significant, especially for Vieira’s men.
So we wouldn’t be surprised to see a cagey, low-scoring affair on the south coast, with a scoreless draw on the cards.
Bournemouth 0-0 Crystal Palace
