England Premier League
Wednesday 13th March 2024
Kick off at 7:30pm GMT
Venue: Vitality Stadium
Match Preview:
As we get into the final two months of the season it is clear that Bournemouth will be safe, there are no worries there and in that respect it is job done. However it looks as if the Cherries will not be moving up much now, they are in that position where they look too far off finishing in a top half place and that could be a problem going forward. We have seen time and again that when a team's season looks over even with a few months to go it can be hard to find the right motivation. Recent form for Bournemouth has been mixed with some draws but just one win in the last five which came against lowly Burnley. Last weekend the club almost lost to bottom side Sheffield United and had trailed 2-0 in that game before fighting back for a 2-2 draw. With 32 points the Cherries come into this game in 13th place and there is little chance of them losing their position even when next weekend rolls around as they have a 3 point gap over 14th placed Crystal Palace and have an advantage over the Eagles in goal difference also.
Luton were able to draw 1-1 away to Crystal Palace last weekend and considering they equalised at the last moments of injury time this was a valuable point for the Hatters. Of course their worrying position of 18th did not change but with Everton and Nottingham Forest both losing it means that Luton who are now on 21 points are just three points from safety and four behind Everton. Simply put a win here would see Luton escape the bottom three on goal difference and dump Forest into it. Recent form has been poor with 4 defeats in a row and the Palace draw did end that but the club are on a poor run. Away from home it’s just two wins and their last victory came back at the end of last year. However with just 1 defeat in their past five away games that does represent improvement and the club has managed to draw against Burnley, Newcastle and Palace as mentioned above in recent games on the road.
Team News:
Bournemouth: James Hill and Marcos Senesi are both missing through respective ankle and hamstring injuries and will not return at the earliest until the end of the month. Maximillian Aarons, Ryan Fredericks and Lloyd Kelly are all out long term with no fixed return dates.
Luton: Elijah Adebayo has recovered from a recent hamstring injury and could be assessed for this game but it is unsure if he will be risked. Joseph Johnson is ill and is not expected back until the end of March. Jacob Brown, Amarii Bell, Mads Andersen, Tom Lockyer and Marvelous Nakamba are all out long term.
Bournemouth vs Luton Head to Head:
The clubs last played here in 2021 in the Championship and Bournemouth won 2-1.
There is a 50% chance to see over 3.5 goals.
Bournemouth vs Luton Prediction:
Luton have suffered recently but in truth Rob Edwards side have played good football and been unlucky on many occasions. It will be interesting to see how the club approaches this game, because one would sense that all of the motivation for the win should be coming from the away side. As we have mentioned above apart from pride of course what do Bournemouth really have to play for? They will want to play well of course and are at home. But we should concentrate on Luton’s price. It is very good value and if the club can find belief in themselves then this really is a winnable midweek fixture. This is their big chance to escape the bottom three, how focused will the players be? This match could tell us a lot about the mental backbone of Edwards' side, and we are tempted to go with them and back them on a kind handicap here.
Bournemouth vs Luton Betting Tips:
Asian handicap (+1 Luton) at 2.07
Anytime goalscorer: Carlton Morris at 3.00
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