Bournemouth V Forest Green
Wednesday 28 August 2019 – 19:45 Kick-Off
EFL League Cup
Pick: Bournemouth to WIN & Over 2.5 Goals
Odds: 4/6
Bookmaker: Coral
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19/100 | 23/4 | 51/4 |
* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of 27th August 2019 at 11:20)
Preview: Forest Green booked their place in the second round of the Football League Cup with a penalty shoot-out victory over Charlton Athletic in the previous round, but now face an even more daunting assignment. Premier League side Bournemouth await them next, with The Cherries hosting this fixture at their Dean Court stadium.
English League Cup Betting with 22Bet
Bournemouth Preview – Solanke to shine on rare start?
Cherries boss Eddie Howe has often exploited this competition in the past to hand precious minutes to those individuals more on the fringes of his squad. That hasn’t prevented his side from reaching the fifth round in each of the past two seasons – with Chelsea proving to be their nemesis on both occasions – although he does have a significant issue this time around.
Put simply, Bournemouth’s squad is thin on numbers. Fit and available numbers, that is. Left-back Charlie Daniels added to their injury woes at the weekend, leaving Diego Rico as the only available player in that specific position. Essentially, it means Eddie Howe is restricted in the amount of changes he can make here, which should mean a slightly stronger team than would usually be the case.
So there may not be too many alterations from the side which provided the defending English champions, Manchester City, with a stern examination at the weekend. Bournemouth created a handful of really good scoring opportunities in that game and, despite falling to a 3-1 defeat, produced arguably their best team display of the season so far, certainly from an attacking point of view. Prior to this there was a 1-1 draw at home to Sheffield United and a 2-1 win at Aston Villa.
The one player who seems almost certain to start here is young England forward Dominic Solanke, who is likely to replace one of the fabled front two of Joshua King and Callum Wilson. In which case, the former Liverpool attacker could be a decent bet to get on the scoresheet in this game at 9/2 with Bet365 to open the scoring and 11/10 to score anytime (excluding extra-time).
Forest Green Preview – League Two side out to cause another cup shock?
They have already claimed one noteworthy scalp in the shape of Charlton Athletic, dumping the Championship side out on penalties after a goalless draw in normal time. So, can they go even better and claim a famous win over Premier League Bournemouth at Dean Court? If they can maintain the standards in defence then it could be a possibility.
In six competitive matches so far this season Forest Green have shipped a miserly total of three goals, keeping three clean sheets in the league and another, more impressively, coming in the previous round of this competition when holding Charlton to a 0-0 draw on the road. For a team that is still to score more than once in any game this season, it is crucial the defence turns in another resolute performance.
The one thing that shouldn’t be in doubt is confidence within the dressing room, as this is a group of players who have made a promising start to their league season in League Two. Last season ended in bitter disappointment with defeat in the play-off semi-final, but a strong start this time around, registering 10 points from a possible 15 to lose only one of their first five league games (W3 D1 L1), has them up in third position already.
A common theme in games involving Forest Green this season has been a lack of goals. Just one of their league games – a 2-1 loss away to Port Vale – featured at least three match goals, while all three of their victories came by the same 1-0 scoreline. Yet last season seen them score on 12 more occasions (40 v 28) on their travels in the league compared with back at home.
Bouremouth V Forest Green Key Facts:
- Bournemouth have begun the 2019-20 Premier League by winning one of their first three fixtures (W1 D1 L1).
- Forest Green have fallen to one defeat in their opening five fixtures in League Two (W3 D1 L1).
- This will be only the third meeting between these sides. The first since the 2004 FA Cup; Bournemouth winning a replay 3-1 at home after a goalless draw at Forest Green initially.
Betting Summary
We can expect one or two personnel changes but this is still likely to be a very strong Bournemouth team. Their results in last season’s competition featured three successive home wins, over MK Dons (3-0), Blackburn (3-2) and Norwich (2-1) before bowing out at Stamford Bridge to Chelsea (1-0). Their games are often good for goals, with all three of their league games in the current campaign returning a 100% success rate for both teams to score.
Trying to secure promotion remains Forest Green’s primary objective, after coming agonisingly close on their most recent effort. A solid start to this season, losing just one of their opening five league games (W3 D1 L1), is complemented by a spirited display away to Charlton Athletic of the Championship in the previous round of this competition, progressing on penalties. Five of their six matches in 2019-20 produced two goals or fewer.
The prospect of goals is dampened by Forest Green’s impressive defensive numbers, with Under 2.5 Goals landing in all but one of their games so far, but that same defence will be put under serious scrutiny up against arguably the most potent attack outside of the top six in the Premier League. It is also worth noting that the League Two side have scored in every league game thus far, so clearly retain some ability going forward and could pose one or two problems for a Bournemouth defence that seems unlikely to be at full strength.
