Stoke vs Bournemouth preview
Stoke City will hope to finally secure their first win of the season when they welcome Premier League newcomers Bournemouth to the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.
The Potters are 18th in the table, having taken just three points from three draws so far this season. Mark Hughes’ men seemed destined to collect their first win of the season when they stormed to a 2-0 lead against Leicester City last weekend.
But Marko Arnautovic’s mistake gave the Foxes a way back as he gave away a penalty and Leicester went on to claim a point. This has been the main problem for Stoke, who keep making life harder for themselves by conceding soft goals.
Hughes, a former centre forward himself, will be aware that his charges cannot afford costly mistakes on Saturday when they welcome Bournemouth and their in-form striker Callum Wilson, who is joint-top goalscorer in the league.
Stoke have enough firepower of their own, with a couple of goalscoring attacking midfielders plus Peter Crouch, who is hoping to make his first Premier League start after impressing in the 0-1 Capital One Cup victory over Preston in midweek.
Crouch had to be patient this term after struggling to overcome the effects of a groin surgery during the early weeks of the season, but he is back and scored at Deepdale last Tuesday.
Bournemouth come into this game brimming with confidence and searching for their third successive victory. Eddie Howe is not underestimating the Potters despite their underwhelming start because he believes the Potters’ performance levels deserve better than the table currently suggests.
Howe will want his Cherries to replicate the display they showed at Dean Court last weekend when his side defeated Sunderland 2-0. Bournemouth worked hard off-the-ball and they complemented that industry with quality in possession, as Matt Ritchie’s goal of the season contender showed.
Stoke City team news
- Stoke could be without top goalscorer Mame Biram Diouf because of a hamstring problem.
- Ryan Shawcross is definitely out with a back injury.
Bournemouth team news
- Captain Tommy Elphick (achilles) recently joined the likes of Max Gradel (knee), Harry Arter (thigh) and Tyrone Mings (knee) on the sidelines.
Stoke City vs Bournemouth prediction
Crouch had his first 90 minutes of the season in midweek and he will be pushing for a start with Diouf likely to miss out, but Hughes will probably start with Jonathan Walters as the lone centre forward in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Glenn Whelan could continue as the sitting central midfielder, while Marco Van Ginkel breaks forward from central midfield. Bojan Krkic is expected to continue in the number 10 role, with Xherdan Shaqiri and Arnautovic completing the attacking midfield trio that will support the centre forward.
Howe usually prefers to start with two strikers up top so Lee Tomlin could operate as the supporting striker, dropping into midfield to help the central midfielders retain possession while pushing up to join Wilson in a 4-4-1-1 formation.
Sylvain Distin should continue to deputise for the injured Elphick at the heart of defence. In central midfield, Dan Gosling could start ahead of Eunan O’Kane after his performance against the Black Cats.
Andrew Surman should continue as the other central midfielder, using his passing range to spread play to the wide midfielders – Marc Pugh and Ritchie – while also making forward runs to supplement the strikers.
Stoke City need a win to kick-start their season but they will face a side that is gradually getting more comfortable with Premier League football so it will not be easy Hughes’ charges. Both sides will try to patiently build attacks but quick transitional play could be key.
It promises to be a scored draw but if any side will win the encounter then it could be the team that mixes their game better.
Score prediction
Stoke City 1-1 Bournemouth.
