Background: On the back of two consecutive 1-1 draws, AFC Bournemouth head into this game knowing that a win is necessary if they want to finally get their season up and running. A decent away draw at Portsmouth was followed by two points dropped at home to MK Dons, Paul Groves and his players know that maximum points must be picked up at home for a serious promotion charge. Their opponents, Preston, have started the season with a home draw to Colchester, and an away loss to League One newcomers Shrewsbury Town.
Bournemouth News:
There is relatively no new injury news from The Cherries this week as no new injuries have been sustained since the game against MK Dons on tuesday night. Long term absentees Charlie Sheringham, Wes Fogden and Stephen Purches remain out for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, new signing Frank Demouge also remains out for another 4-8 weeks, so Cherries fans will have to wait a while to see the new foreign superstar in the famous red & black stripes. Tommy Elphick may return after being rested for tuesday's game, though based on their performance Miles Addison and Steve Cook will likely remain the starters. Physio Steve Hard reported on Josh McQuoid's progress, stating though he's still unavailable, he will return to training next week. Though Bournemouth have not won a game yet, the first half against MK Dons was outstanding, and it is quite likely Groves chooses to stick with the same lineup. The only major question is whether Shaun MacDonald returns and whom out of Arter, Partington or O'Kane he would replace. My choice would be to stick with the same starting lineup that dominated Milton Keynes for 45 minutes.
Predicted Lineup:
--Jalal--
--Francis--Addison--Cook--Daniels
--Arter--O'Kane--Partington--Pugh
--Grabban--Barnard
The Vistors:
Preston North End make the long trip down to the south coast with a completely different squad to the one that came last season. Manager Graham Westley shipped out the majority, if not all of the club's senior players and brought in many new faces, including a few from his previous club Stevenage. On a relatively tight budget, he has managed to make some notable coups, such as former Yeovil Town captain Paul Huntington. Though they have not scored yet this season, Preston still maintain a dangerous attacking threat, spearheaded by the experienced forward Akpo Sodje, and former Southampton winger Lee Holmes. A point would be a solid return for Preston here, but Westley will certainly set his side up with the intention of taking all three points back home.
Having spoken to a few Preston fans on messageboards, I gathered the general prediction of what their lineup may look like on Saturday.
--Stuckmann--
--Keane--Huntington--Cansdell-Sheriff--Laird
--Monokana--Wroe--King--Holmes
--Beardsley--
--Sodje--
My Prediction:
I worry to be too over confident about this game, regardless of Preston's recent form because I have witnessed how organized Graham Westley's teams' are. Stevenage beat up 3-1 last season, with the counter attack being a useful weapon to them. However, I think barring any tactical errors from Groves, that we can win this game 2-1. This will all change is Preston grab an early goal, but if we can avoid that, I have confidence that the team can get their first win of the season!
No comments:
Post a Comment