Tottenham are looking to guarantee their finish in the Premier League top four when they visit Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday. The reverse fixture has been a very easy one for the Spurs, they won it 5-0 in December with goals from Christian Eriksen, Lucas Moura, Harry Kane and a double from Son Heung-Min. That was the fourth consecutive win for Tottenham against Bournemouth, and the sixth in the last seven direct matches. The last and only time that the Cherries defeated the Spurs in a competitive match was in 1957, when they secured a 3-1 victory in the FA Cup.
Bournemouth are most likely already thinking about their vacation plans and about next season, this campaign has almost ended for them and there's nothing left to fight for. The Cherries are in 14th place, relegation is not a worry anymore, and if they win their remaining two league matches they could finish no higher than 11th. Last week they played a crazy match at Southampton, the Saints were desperate to get at least a point and they eventually did with a 3-3 draw. Manager Eddie Howe has to do without no less than seven first-team players, all out injured: Charlie Daniels, Lewis Cook, Simon Francis, Andrew Surman, Diego Rico, Adam Smith and Junior Stanislas.
Tottenham are going through a very bumpy stretch of road and if they are not careful they could end up missing out on everything that they have been fighting for this season. Earlier this week they lost 1-0 at home to Ajax in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, that was the fourth defeat in the last five matches in all competitions for the Spurs and it puts them on the brink of elimination. In the Premier League they lost 1-0 at home against West Ham last weekend, that leaves them in third place but fourth-placed Chelsea are two points behind and fifth-placed Arsenal are four points behind. Tottenham could end their worries in the Premier League with a win at Bournemouth, that would guarantee them a place in the top four and some peace of mind before next week's decisive clash against Ajax in Amsterdam. Jan Vertonghen picked up a knock during this week's match against Ajax and will not be risked on Saturday, while Serge Aurier, Harry Kane and Harry Winks remain sidelined.
Probable line-ups:
Bournemouth: Boruc - Mepham, S. Cook. Ake - Fraser, Lerma, Hyndman, Simpson - Brooks - Wilson, King
Tottenham: Lloris - Trippier, Foyth, Alderweireld, Davies - Sissoko, Dier - Moura, Eriksen, Alli - Son Heung-Min
My prediction: Tottenham to win 2-1, it will be difficult for the Spurs but they should be able to edge past the Cherries and secure their objective.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Bournemouth win - 3.80
Draw - 3.60
Tottenham win - 1.90
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