AFC Bournemouth vs Tottenham Hotspur
Vicarage Road, Dorset
Thursday, 09-07-2020 @8pm
Ref: Paul Tierney
Bournemouth’s only win in nine Premier League matches against Tottenham came in this fixture last season. Spurs conceded as many goals in their 3-2 win over Bournemouth in November as they had in their previous seven matches combined against the Cherries. The only other competitive fixture between the sides outside of the Premier League was an FA Cup fifth-round tie in February 1957 that Bournemouth won 3-1.
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe awaits news on whether defenders Steve Cook, Simon Francis, Chris Mepham and Jack Simpson will be fit. Forward Callum Wilson returns after serving a two-match suspension and is expected to replace Dominic Solanke.
Tottenham will be without banned midfielder Eric Dier. Dele Alli faces a fitness test on the hamstring injury which caused him to miss Everton; Juan Foyth and Japhet Tanganga remain on the sidelines.
After losing just three of their first 11 league matches this season they have been defeated in 17 of their last 22 top-flight fixtures. They have equalled their Premier League club record of five consecutive defeats, set from November to December 2019. They last lost more matches in succession when they were beaten in the opening seven games of the 1994-95 season in the third tier. They are one goal away from becoming the first side to concede at least 60 in five consecutive Premier League campaigns.
Even if Tottenham won all five of their remaining league fixtures this season they would still post their lowest points total since finishing with 62 in 2010-11. Since winning 11 of their opening 13 Premier League away matches at the start of last season, Spurs have won only three of 22 top-flight away games. They have kept a clean sheet in two of their last three league games – as many as they had in their previous 14. Their sole clean sheet in their last 23 top flight away matches came in a 0-0 draw at Watford in January. Jose Mourinho has not lost any of his 24 Premier League away games against a side starting the day in the relegation zone.
Everton vs Southampton
Goodison Park, Liverpool
Thursday, 09-07-2020 @8pm
Ref: Lee Mason
Everton are awaiting news on Mason Holgate after the defender was injured at Tottenham on Monday night. Alex Iwobi has been ruled out with a hamstring problem, while Theo Walcott and Fabian Delph are again expected to be unavailable.
Southampton winger Moussa Djenepo is out with a calf injury and joins Jannik Vestergaard, Sofiane Boufal and Yan Valery on the sidelines. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is included in the squad after a two-game absence.
Everton are looking to complete the league double over Southampton for the first time since 2002. Southampton have won only one of their 20 Premier League trips to Everton (D5, L14). Saints were victorious in the last meeting at Goodison Park, a penalty shoot-out triumph in the League Cup in October 2018. Managers Carlo Ancelotti (Bayern Munich) and Ralph Hasenhuttl (RB Leipzig) twice faced off during the 2016-17 Bundesliga season, with 12 goals scored in total.
Everton are unbeaten in nine Premier League home games (W5, D4). They have taken 25 points from 15 games under Carlo Ancelotti (W7, D4, L4) having accrued just 19 points from their opening 18 league fixtures. Everton have lost two home matches this season versus teams below them in the table having been defeated in just one of the previous 40 such fixtures. The Toffees have failed to score in three of their past five league outings. Gylfi Sigurdsson has scored five Premier League goals against Southampton, his joint-most against an opponent. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored seven goals in 14 home appearances this term, as many as in his previous three campaigns at Goodison Park.
Southampton have won three of their four matches since the Premier League restarted (L1), and are currently on a two-game winning streak. Saints have won eight of their 16 away league games (D2, L6), which is already the most on their travels in top-flight history. They have scored in 14 away league matches, a joint-high alongside Chelsea and Manchester City. Southampton are the only club not to have drawn a Premier League game since the turn of the year (W7, L6). Danny Ings has scored in four separate league games against Everton but is yet to be on the winning side (D1, L3).
Aston Villa vs Man United
Villa Park, Birmingham
Thursday, 09-07-2020 @10:15pm
Ref: Jonathan Moss
This is the 50th Premier League fixture between these sides. Aston Villa have won just three of the previous 49, losing 34 times. Villa have won just one of their last 42 Premier League meetings with Manchester United (D11, L30), with their solitary victory coming at Old Trafford in December 2009. Manchester United are unbeaten in 20 Premier League away games against Aston Villa (W13, D7) since losing 3-1 at Villa Park on the opening day of the 1995-96 season. It is the longest unbeaten away run by one team against another in top-flight history.
Tyrone Mings and Jack Grealish are available for Aston Villa despite suffering minor issues against Liverpool. Matt Targett is again set to miss out with a hamstring problem.
Manchester United will monitor Victor Lindelof, who was withdrawn against Bournemouth because of a back problem. If the Swede recovers in time United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have the option of naming the same side for a fourth straight league match.
Aston Villa have claimed only two points in their last nine league matches (D2, L7), scoring just five goals in this run. Villa have won just one of their last 27 Premier League matches against sides starting the day in the top half of the league (D4, L22). The 2-0 defeat at Liverpool was the 20th time this season that Villa have conceded two or more goals in a Premier League game this season. Defeat at Liverpool means Villa have lost at least 20 times in each of their last four top-flight seasons – they did not lose more than 17 games in each of their first 21 Premier League campaigns.
Manchester United are looking to become the first team in Premier League history to win four consecutive matches by a margin of at least three goals. United are undefeated in nine Premier League games (W6, D3), the longest current unbeaten run in the division. They have won their last four matches in league and cup – their best run since winning Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first eight games in charge between December 2018 and January 2019. Bruno Fernandes has been directly involved in 11 goals in his nine Premier League matches, scoring six and assisting five. Mason Greenwood has 15 goals in all competitions this season – the only teenagers to score more goals for the Red Devils in a season are George Best in 1965-66, Brian Kidd in 1967-68 and Wayne Rooney in 2004-05 (all scored 17 goals). Anthony Martial is one goal away from becoming the 10th United player to score 50 Premier League goals – and the second Frenchman to do so for the club, after Eric Cantona.
Premier League mid-week results
Tuesday, 07-07-2020
-Crystal Palace 2-3 Chelsea
-Watford 2-1 Norwich City
-Arsenal 1-1 Leicester City
Wednesday, 08-07-2020
-Man City 5-0 Newcastle United
-Sheffield United 1-0 Wolves
-West Ham United 0-1 Burnley
-Brighton 1-3 Liverpool
