Bournemouth vs Everton

Everton’s hopes of turning their miserable Premier League fortunes around at the start of 2025 take them to the Vitality Stadium for a tricky encounter against in-form Bournemouth. 

Bournemouth lived up to their tag as ‘late drama kings’ in last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Fulham as Dango Ouattara’s 89th-minute equalizer marked their 10th Premier League beyond the 85-minute mark this season. Andoni Iraola’s side demonstrated their capacity to score in the dying moments in the reverse fixture, netting three goals in that timeframe to topple Everton 3-2 in August. More importantly, the Cherries ended 2024 on an impressive seven-game unbeaten league run (W4, D3) to stay within striking distance of an unlikely top-four finish. They’re well-positioned to strengthen that quest after beating Everton in their last four competitive meetings in Boscombe, netting 2+ goals on each occasion. However, there’s no room for complacency, knowing they’ve only claimed one victory across their last four home league outings (D2, L1).

In the meantime, Everton slumped to a 2-0 home defeat to surprise package Nottingham Forest in their last game in 2024, slipping closer to the Premier League bottom three. Despite holding Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City to three consecutive draws in December, manager Sean Dyche is still walking a tightrope, with the Toffees languishing only two points clear of 18th-placed Ipswich Town. Terminally unable to score goals, the visitors have failed to get on the scoresheet in a league-high ten matches this season, including four of their last five on the road (D3, L2). For further context, Everton netted fewer goals (31) than any other omnipresent Premier League club in 2024!