Stoke vs Bournemouth isn’t the most glamourous game on telly this weekend, but in the greater scheme of things, it is a very important one. The Potters have not managed to win a single league game so far and are sitting in the relegation zone- only the North East duo of Newcastle and Sunderland have fared worse among the 20 teams that constitute the Premiership.
Manager Mark Hughes is already feeling the heat, with questions being asked of how a team boasting the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Bojan, Marko Arnautovic, Mame Diouf and Glen Johnson is floundering so badly. Is Hughes being tactically inept? Has he been able to get the best out of his marquee foreign signings? Have his subs been on point?
Stoke have taken a grand sum of a single point from their games against Norwich (away), West Brom and Leicester (both home)- all three fixtures they would have expected to win at the beginning of the season. They also threw away a 2-0 lead against the Foxes after playing a fantastic first half where they should have been out of sight at the break, and at this level, those are the kind of mistakes a side like the Potters should not be making. There have been flashes of brilliance, but consistency over 90 minutes has been a big issue for Stoke this season.
In what would have been some minor consolation for their beleaguered supporters, they beat Fulham away in their midweek League Cup tie, with lanky striker Peter Crouch scoring the winner.
Video Highlights from Fulham vs Stoke in the Capital One Cup- 22 Sep, 2015
Premiership newbies Bournemouth already have two wins to their credit, and are in 14th spot with 7 points from six games. Victory against Stoke is likely to push the Cherries into the top ten and that will be enough motivation for Eddie Howe’s determined charges.
Bournemouth’s league victories have come against Sunderland and West Ham. They also beat Preston on penalties in their midweek Capital One Cup tie, thus progressing to the next round of the tournament like the Potters.
Preston beat Bournemouth on penalties
When you look at common teams that both Bournemouth and Stoke have played so far, one can understand why the Potters might be marginal favourites despite their indifferent league form. Both Stoke and Bournemouth lost to Liverpool and drew with Leicester, but the Potters split points with Norwich, while the Cherries went down 3-1 at Carrow Road.
Bet365, the firm founded by Stoke’s owners, has the Potters at marginal 13/8 favourites. Bournemouth are quoted at 19/10.
This will be the first league meeting between Bournemouth and Stoke in over a decade.
Their last league meeting at the Britannia, almost fourteen years back, in 2001, went 2-0 in favour of the Potters. Bournemouth’s last four league games away at Stoke have ended in defeats for the visitors (2-0, 2-1, 1-0 and 2-0 were the scorelines).
The two sides also contested a FA Cup tie in 2003, with Chris Iwelumo having to take a penalty twice in a 3-0 win for the home side. The Britannia is certainly not a happy hunting ground for the Cherries.
Stoke have a decent set of fixtures coming up- their next three after the Bournemouth game are against Aston Villa, Swansea and Watford, all three winnable games if the Potters hit their straps. Hughes will be hoping that his side can turn a corner this weekend and then string a set of good games together to take them away from the drop zone and ease the pressure on him.
Our prediction- Stoke to win this, especially if Bojan, Arnautovic and Shaqiri are given the creative license to run circles around Bournemouth. Crouch, despite his winner against Fulham, must be on the bench.