As the race for European football heats up in the Premier League, hopefuls Bournemouth will welcome relegation-threatened Ipswich Town to the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday.
The Cherries will be looking to get back on track after a difficult March, while the Tractor Boys will be desperate to end their five-game losing streak.
Match preview
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Andoni Iraola‘s Bournemouth have been one of the standout performers in the top flight this season, but their current four-match winless run in the league has left them in mid table ahead of their midweek clash.
The Cherries were also knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester City on Sunday in their first game back after the international break, and with just one win in their last six across all competitions – a penalty shootout victory over struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers on March 1 – it would be fair to say that they have stumbled.
Iraola’s side are now 10th in the table with 44 points to show for their 29 games played, but they are still only four points behind fifth-placed City, who occupy the division’s Europa League qualification spot.
However, with four losses from their five most recent home games, and no victories at the Vitality Stadium since January, Wednesday’s hosts may be low on confidence despite the chance to take three points from one of the league’s relegation candidates.
Should Bournemouth manage to overcome their poor home record and earn their first top-flight home win since their 5-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest more than two months ago, then they could find themselves leapfrogging Aston Villa, Fulham, Brighton and Newcastle United to climb up to sixth, where they would be only one point behind the defending champions in a best-case scenario.
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Kieran McKenna‘s Ipswich have struggled all season long, and with the threat of relegation looming large, they will be desperate to avoid another defeat in midweek.
Ahead of their showdown with the Cherries, the Tractor Boys have lost eight of their last nine in the Premier League, including an exhausting 4-2 beating by Forest before the international break.
Such a poor run in 2025 has left McKenna’s men 18th in the table with just 17 points, and given that they are nine points from safety, their hopes of survival as a top flight club seem to be slipping further away each week.
That being said, Wednesday’s visitors have fared marginally better on the road this year, and their most recent point was earned in a 1-1 draw on a trip to Villa Park, while their last victory was an FA Cup away day, though it was against Championship Coventry City.
If Ipswich can snatch an unlikely three points from the Vitality, then they could find that they are only six points behind 17th-placed Wolves, but defeat would be disastrous and may even leave them 12 from safety with only eight games remaining.
Team News
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Bournemouth will be without the versatile Marcus Tavernier once again after he picked up an ankle injury that is expected to keep him out until mid-April.
In his absence, expect David Brooks, Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo to line up as a trio in support of striker Evanilson up top.
As for Ipswich, midfielders Conor Chaplin – who scored in the reverse fixture – and Sammie Szmodics will not be available due to knee and ankle injuries respectively, so anticipate a pairing of Kalvin Phillips and Jens Cajuste to be joined by Julio Enciso behind striker Liam Delap.
On the flanks, Omari Hutchinson and Jade Philogene-Bidace should provide width, with full-backs Dara O’Shea and Leif Davis overlapping at times.
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Arrizabalaga; Cook, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Soler; Christie, Adams; Brooks, Kluivert, Semenyo; Evanilson
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Palmer; O’Shea, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Phillips, Cajuste; Philogene-Bidace, Hutchinson, Enciso; Delap
We say: Bournemouth 2-1 Ipswich Town
Both sides have been in poor form in the weeks leading up to this clash, but they each have their own clear goals for the remainder of the campaign and will have used the international break to reset.
However, Bournemouth have proven themselves to be extremely capable under Iraola, and if they can get recapture their early-season form, expect them to take all three points on Wednesday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
