Bournemouth vs Burnley – Match Preview
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If Bournemouth played in a Premier League season that was just 28 games long, people would once again be commending Eddie Howe and his players on another successful campaign in the English top flight.
However, as we all know this particular competition is one that is played out across 38 matches and unfortunately for the Cherries, it seems as if they have hit a mental block in these past few weeks of league action.
At the same time, it could well be argued that it is not a mental block and it is more the players coasting towards the end of the season, something that when you look at their recent form is more likely the case.
The South Coast outfit have won just once in their last six league outings and manager Eddie Howe will no doubt be breathing a sigh of relief, at the fact that his team are not in the grip of a tightly fought relegation battle.
With their ultimate objective for the season all but achieved, it means that Bournemouth have had little to play for as of late and in turn, they have become a particular attractive opposition to go up against.
Something that Burnley boss Sean Dyche will be fully aware of when he takes his Burnley side to the Vitality Stadium this weekend and he will have identified this game, as one that is now highly winnable.
The Clarets arguably require two wins from the last six league outings to make sure that they keep themselves afloat in the Premier League this season and they will be buoyed by their impressive performance against Wolves last weekend.
One that saw them get the better of Nuno Espirito Santo’s men at Turf Moor and although the visitors may have had more than one eye on their F.A. Cup Semi-final with Watford, it was a lapse in concentration that played into Burnley’s hands.
They will look for something similar when they travel to Bournemouth and if this Saturday’s hosts play like they did in their last league showing, then it could well be Burnley who take a giant leap towards league safety.
That’s because they made the trip to the King Power Stadium to face a Leicester side who have undergone a resurgence under Brendan Rodgers, and it is fair to say that the Foxes outfought them in every department.
That would no doubt have been a concern to Eddie Howe, but again it goes back to how do you motivate a group of players that have nothing to play for and the answer to that, is that is very difficult in which to do so.
Had they turned in such a poor performance earlier in the season without their survival already confirmed, then it would have created a larger cause for concern. However, with the game being a dead rubber for Bournemouth, it means the urgency to fix the situation is not as urgent.
Burnley will go into this game smelling blood and anything less than a win will only be viewed as a huge opportunity missed. However, the overall season stats are not in their favour of course, as they have won only 3 of all their away games this season. Both teams to score seems a likely event for this clash.
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