Aside from a 2-0 home setback to Brighton & Hove Albion, Bournemouth have enjoyed plenty of success in April, winning all three games against Fulham, Leicester City, and Tottenham Hotspur. Former Cherries forward Arnaut Danjuma equalised for the home side in the 88th minute prior to Dango Ouattara received Bournemouth’s latest Premier League winning goal (94:11) to secure all three points at the death.
Gary O’Neil’s side has won as many games in April as they did in November, December, January, February, and March taken together, and the Cherries have put themselves into a much better position to avoid relegation to the Championship, sitting 14th in the table and six points clear of the drop zone.
O’Neil will be eager for his squad to capitalise on this good run of games and sustain their winning momentum in order to all but clinch their survival in the top division, though defeating the Hammers is not a foregone conclusion, having lost their past two encounters by a combined score of 6-0.
West Ham advanced to the Europa Conference League semi-finals with a 5-2 aggregate win against Gent, winning the second leg 4-1 on Thursday after preserving one point in a 2-2 draw in their own stadium to Premier League leaders Arsenal last weekend.
With the tie level on the night and on aggregate at halftime, David Moyes’ men took control of proceedings at the London Stadium, with Lucas Paqueta, Declan Rice, and Michail Antonio all achieving within just under eight minutes of each other securing the victory and set up a semi-final clash with AZ Alkmaar next month.
West Ham will look to break Bournemouth from a tactical point of view
West Ham now have five Premier League games to prepare for before returning to European duty, with the Hammers still fighting for relegation after picking up eight points in their past five top-flight games. Moyes and co are 15th in the table, four points above the drop zone, despite having a game in hand over every other side in the bottom half.
The Hammers halted an 11-game scoreless run away from home earlier this month with a tight 1-0 success at Fulham, but they go to Bournemouth on Sunday after failing to win each of their past four visits to the Vitality Stadium, allowing 10 goals in the process.
West Ham United, on the other hand, have won their past four Premier League games against newly promoted teams, including a 2-0 home win over Bournemouth in October, and will try to earn their first-ever league double against the Cherries on Sunday.
Team News- West Ham
West Ham’s Gianluca Scamacca is still out after having knee surgery earlier this month, while Angelo Ogbonna missing the midweek triumph against Gent due to a lower back ailment and is questionable for Sunday’s game.
David Moyes is likely to recall Lukasz Fabianski as the goalkeeper instead of Alphonse Areola. He may also make some changes to the outfield players to freshen up the squad after their Thursday success.
Danny Ings will compete with Antonio for the starting spot up front, while Kurt Zouma and Said Benrahma, who each scored in the 2-0 win over Bournemouth in October, may keep their places at centre-back and on the left wing, respectively.
Team News- Bournemouth
Bournemouth will miss offensive midfielder Hamed Traore, who is recovering from a foot injury. Ryan Fredericks (calf) and Junior Stanislas (unspecified) will also join him in the treatment room.
O’Neil believes that Matias Vina will be included in the matchday squad despite being a small doubt due to a lower back injury. The left-back took part in light training after scoring his first goal for the Cherries versus Tottenham.
O’Neil is expected to revert to a four-man defence, with Adam Smith returning at right-back and Marcos Senesi replacing Chris Mepham at centre-back after returning from a hamstring injury to play as a substitute last time out.
Ouattara will also try to push his way back into the starting lineup, perhaps replacing Ryan Christie, while Philip Billing will continue to play behind centre striker Dominic Solanke.
Prediction-
Bournemouth 2-2 West Ham
Date- 23rd April, 2023
Time- 1.00pm GMT
Venue- Vitality Stadium
