Southampton Vs Bournemouth Preview, Premier League: Players To Watch, Match Prediction - All You Need To Know

Andoni Iraola is excited by Bournemouth's prospects in the FA Cup, but the Premier League is the Cherries' focus this weekend as they visit bottom club Southampton. (More Football News)

Bournemouth beat Everton 2-0 in what proved to be the final FA Cup matc🌠h at Goodison Park on Saturday, sealing their place in the last 16.

They will face Wolves for a quarter-final spot in three weeks' time, and they are also flying high in the Premier League table, sitting seventh, just three p🍌oints adrift of the top𝕴 four.

Some have tipped Bournemouth to go all the way in the cup, but Ir🍌aola is taking things ಌone game at a time.

"This is not about looking at a run. You have to earn the right to play one more gam♓e, it's what we won," Iraola said after their cupꦺ victory.

"These competitions are about not just ꦿhow you play. It's about soul, it's a𒆙bout belief, it's about the willingness to sacrifice whatever is needed to go to the next round.

"I trust that we have this, even in a young team. I think they are add꧒ing experience. We have players that are really young but they've been there before, they've play🐠ed a good amount of games.

"It's not like they are immature. I think they are adding solidity to t𒁏heir game."

Unlike Bournemouth, Southampꩲton were dumped out of the cup in the fourth round, losing 1-0 to Championship promotion hopefuls 💧Burnley.

Head coach Ivan Juric felt thaꦑt the result was harsh, saying: "I'm frustrated with the result. I think we did a really good perfor💙mance.

"We had lots of moments, lots of chances, lots of free-k🗹icks near their area and we weren't able to score.

"You have to work. I think we have a very young team in attack, we can do it꧋ better and we c✤an improve."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Southampton – Paul Onuachu

After failing to score in his first 22 Premier League games, Onuachu has scored two goals in his last three games. Against Ipswich Town, in their last Premier League match, he competed in 27 aerial duels (winning 16), the most by a player in ♎a Premier ꦰLeague match since the start of 2020-21.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth have the second-lowest aerial duel success rate in the competit🙈ion this season (343/744 – 46.1%).  

Bournemouth – Justin Kluivert

Only Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak have scored more Premier L💝eague goals away ཧfrom home this season than Kluivert (nine).

The forward could become the first Bournemouth player to score in four consecutive away appearances💧 in the competition, should he net here.

MATCH PREDICTION – BOURNEMOUTH

After beating Ipswich 2-1 last time out, Southampton are looking to win successive Premier Le෴ague games for the first time since February 2022.

However, they have lost eac🧔h of their last six home league games, conceding 22 goals in that time.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, are enjoying their longest ever unbeaten run on the road in the Premier League, winning four and drawing two of their last six away games🐟.

Having lost just two of their first 11 Pr♉emier League meetings with Bournemouth (five wins, four draws), Southaꦫmpton have now lost both of their last two against the Cherries.

Following their 3-1 win at the Vitali😼ty Stadium in September, Bournemouth are looking to complete the league double over Southampton for the first time, in what is the 15th different campaign in which they have met. They are strong favourite✅s to do so.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Southampton – 19.9%

Bournemouth – 57.9% 

Draw – 22.2%