CHERRIES look to make it 9 unbeaten.
9th Jan 2025 | Written by Jamie Speller
AFC Bournemouth look to the FA Cup next as they host West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. Here’s my pre-match review of the upcoming fixture.
Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
RECENT FORM
The Cherries head into this game after 8 matches unbeaten in the Premier League, including some notable wins against Manchester United and Wolves, they are now sitting 7th in the league. Typically over the past few years, we have done well at this stage of the cup - having won 4/5 of the last games in the third round.
Our most recent game resulted in a 1-0 win against Everton at the Vitality Stadium, with David Brooks’ 77th minute volley sealing all 3 points for the side in black and red. We were completely dominant against Everton throughout, with 19 total shots, 8 on target, and 58% of possession in the game.
Evanilson left the game in the 82nd minute, with scans later showing that he fractured his metatarsal. Devastatingly, he will not see the pitch until mid-April.
Enes Unal also sustained a tear in his right ACL during training and has him most likely finished for this season, limiting him to just 17 games.
This has led to Daniel Jebbison being recalled from his loan to Watford, he’ll be hoping to make his 4th appearance for Bournemouth this Saturday - there are high hopes of his ability to have an impact on the game. Changes are also expected to be made on Saturday, with a chance that Iraola may provide a few youth players their debut.
One of those is Ben Winterburn, who is still waiting for his starting senior debut for Bournemouth - we would love to see a homegrown, academy product get his chance and take it. He has made his full debut however, playing just 8 minutes off the bench in our 2-2 draw with Fulham only recently.
New signing Julio Soler, who was signed for £8 million from Club Atletico Lanús of Argentina’s top division, is unfortunately unavailable for selection due to international duty.
Baggies not to be underestimated
As for the visitors, they head to the Vitality managerless after Carlos Corberan left for Valencia on Christmas day - the equivalent of finding a lump of coal in your stocking.
Chris Brunt has taken charge on an interim basis - a club legend for The Baggies as a player, but can he get them a result tomorrow?
West Brom are 6th in the Championship after 26 games, after an astonishing 13 games drawn. They have only lost twice in the last 18 games, with 12 of their 13 draws coming in this period.
Among some of their danger men is Josh Maja, who has scored 12 goals in the championship this season - a key player for West Brom’s recent success in the 2nd tier. Ironically, Maja is also on the radar of the Cherries after our striker injury crisis - so it may be worthwhile paying attention to him during this fixture.
Photo by Adam Fradgley/West Bromwich Albion FC via Getty Images
Another threat is Michael Johnston who demonstrated flashes of brilliance last season for the Baggies, scoring 7 and assisting 2 in only 20 games, before being picked up permanently this summer from Celtic.
They will match up against Dean Huijsen, who has been unbelievable since coming in for the injured Senesi, and James Hill who also has been very reliable since coming into the side.
Score Prediction
This will be a tough game for us as West Brom are high up the table in the championship and pushing for the playoffs, however I think we have enough to overcome them and make it 9 unbeaten, even with inevitable changes to the starting 11. I can see Brooks starting and scoring, with the game finishing 2-1 to Bournemouth at the full-time whistle.
