3rd Dec 2017 | Premier League
Howe To Earn Bragging Rights
The Cherries have improved greatly over the last 2 months and we shouldn't rule them out because of one bad day at the office.
All sides have off days and Bournemouth certainly suffered one of theirs on Wednesday, losing 2-1 to Burnley. But the bigger picture is that the Cherries are improving; they rank 8th in the form table based on the last 8 games.
Southampton are the favourites for this south coast derby but their form overall is worse despite a couple of good showings this week. We should back Bournemouth at a best price 23/10 with Betfred.
The difference could be in attack. Eddie Howe now has Josh King back on the goal trail, Callum Wilson bagged a hat-trick a fortnight ago while Jermain Defoe has had 4 of those against Southampton in his career!
On the other side, Charlie Austin had a great game against Everton and swiftly found himself back on the bench at Old Trafford. The Saints did well there but such decisions could cost Pellegrino in the long run.
Even at the back Bournemouth were looking solid prior to Burnley, keeping three clean sheets in a row.
I think midweek was a blip and Howe will fire his side up to get back on track here.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 08:27 3rd Dec, 2017 but subject to change