Bournemouth welcome Newcastle to the Vitality Stadium this Sunday afternoon in superb form, riding a three-match winning streak that has lifted them into the Premier League’s top five.
Softfootball reports that Andoni Iraola’s side is full of confidence and will be aiming to win a fourth successive game for the first time since 2018. The Cherries are also unbeaten in their last six league games against the Magpies, giving them a significant psychological edge.
Bournemouth started the season with a narrow 4-2 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, coming back from 2-0 down to level at 2-2 before late strikes from Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah sealed the win for the champions. The Cherries have responded fantastically to that loss, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0, Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 and Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1, leaving them fifth in the Premier League standings.
Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola has confirmed that midfielder Ryan Christie is available for Sunday’s match against Newcastle. The midfielder has returned to full training after missing last weekend’s game against Brighton. Defender Bafodé Diakité is also in contention and is expected to be part of the squad, though he may face a late fitness test.
However, the Cherries will remain without the injured duo of Enes Ünal and Adam Smith. The attack is in scintillating form, led by Antoine Semenyo. The winger has been involved in more Premier League goals than any other player so far this season.
Bournemouth Confirmed XI: Petrović, Truffert, Senesi, Brooks, Scott, Evanilson, Adams, Tavernier, Diakité, Jiménez, Semenyo
Subs: Dennis, Soler, Christie, Gannon-Doak, Kluivert, Adli, Kroupi Jr, Hill, Milosavljević.
Newcastle United meanwhile, are also heading into today’s fixture enduring a difficult beginning to the new campaign, with Howe’s team having won only one of their first five matches across all competitions, alongside two defeats and two draws.
The Magpies failed to win any of their first three league fixtures, extending their winless run to 11 games including the end of last season and pre-season, before finally snapping the streak with a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, courtesy of Nick Woltemade’s winning goal on his debut.
Newcastle were unable to build on that victory in their Champions League opener, with Marcus Rashford’s brilliant brace handing Barcelona a 2-1 victory over the Magpies at St James’ Park. Though they seem to have put the defeat behind them as they posted up picture of their stars on their X handle ahead of the clash.
Hoping to at least build on the Wolves win in the Premier League, Newcastle will be looking to claim their first victory over Bournemouth since a 1-0 EFL Cup fourth round victory in December 2022, while they are also searching for their first triumph at Vitality since a 4-1 thrashing in July 2020.
Newcastle United Confirmed XI: Pope, Hall, Botman, Tonali, Thiaw, Livramento, Murphy, Woltemade, Willock, Burn, Miley
Subs: Ramsdale, Trippier, Lascelles, Joelinton, Barnes, Krafth, Osula, Elanga, Guimaraes.
