Premier League: Fulham and Bournemouth Go the Distance During Boxing Day

Bournemouth vs Fulham

It’s always a different atmosphere when the beloved outfits in the most competitive top flight go at it during the holiday season. Luckily, the Premier League once again brings a treat for football fans around the world with a compelling Boxing Day slate.

Multiple marquee matchups are set to transpire during the annual Boxing Day, but the head-to-head between Bournemouth and Fulham will surely be one of the most competitive bouts during Matchday 19.

The steamrolling Bournemouth have been the hottest team in the top flight, winning four of their last five Premier League matches, and they will host the frisky Fulham squad at Vitality Stadium.

But even though the Cherries are in the best form they’ve been all season, the Cottagers won’t back down to any team, even if it means playing in front of what will surely be a hostile and fired-up Bournemouth crowd.

Talking Points

Bournemouth are rallying

Suffering a humbling 6-1 defeat against Manchester City seemed to be the last straw for Andoni Iraola and his team. After their loss at Etihad Stadium, the Cherries pulled the switch and started to turn their season around, tallying strong Premier League 2023 results matchday after matchday and staying undefeated since November 4.

With their strong push, Bournemouth are now tied with Chelsea in league points with 22, and a win against Fulham could propel the Cherries to the upper half of the table.

During their Matchday 18 clash against Nottingham Forest, Dominic Solanke did what he was doing for Bournemouth the whole season: score goals. The 26-year-old forward scored all three goals for his side, giving him a hat-trick and giving his team the win to boot.

After a scoreless first half, Solanke tightened his boots and went to work, scoring a brace in a span of seven minutes, then stunned everyone at City Ground with a clutch header in added time. After his hat-trick, Solanke is now tied with Son Heung-min and Jarrod Bowen with 11 goals, trailing only Mo Salah (12) and Erling Haaland (14) in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot.

Truly a striker in form, Solanke will aim to deliver once again for Iraola when they host Fulham in what will surely be a cutthroat Premier League tie.

Fulham keeping up with the pack

Fulham have been a little tepid, but still convincing. They went on a rampage earlier this month, where they defeated Nottingham Forest 5-0, which they followed up with another dominant 5-0 win against the Hammers.

The Cottagers also successfully reached the EFL semi finals after edging out Everton in the quarterfinals, where they won a hard-fought match that was decided in a penalty shootout. Marco Silva and his lads will soon face Mo Salah and the rest of Liverpool in the semis in January.

Marco Silva and the rest of Fulham have been looking like a convincing outfit in the Premier League, the EFL Cup, and even the FA Cup. But their shortcomings in their last two top-flight matches made them stagnant with 21 league points, failing to separate themselves from the likes of Brentford, Wolves, and Crystal Palace.

Although a win against the Cherries could boost them past both Bournemouth and Chelsea, landing them in the 10th spot after Boxing Day.

History

Since 2009, these outfits have shared the glaring lights of the stadium 10 times prior to their upcoming bout. In those 10 times, five have ended in a draw, while the Cherries came out as the victors four times, but Fulham have managed to win once.

In those past head-to-heads, they’ve only managed to find the back of the net 25 times, a modest amount of goals given that both teams play a very competitive match when facing each other. Which is why punters should take a look and consider the total goal lines on SBOTOP.

In recent form, the Cottagers are on a pedestrian stretch in the Premier League, suffering back-to-back losses against Newcastle and Burnley. But before these matches, they demolished their adversaries, taking a crack at Craven Cottage, where they beat Nottingham Forest 5-0, then followed it up with another 5-0 win against the Hammers.

Meanwhile, the Cherries have been on a hot streak these past few weeks, staying undefeated in their last five Premier League matches, including a notable 0-3 victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Betting Tip 

Both sides are priced closely, leaving no room for error. The Premier League 2023 odds have Bournemouth as the slight favourites at 2.21, while the threatening Fulham are right there at 2.96 and 3.20 to draw.

Given their standings in the Premier League table, I personally would promptly go for the draw price of 3.20. The Cherries have been making strides in the top flight, being the hottest team in the league for the past few weeks, but one can never count out Marco Silva and the rest of Fulham.

Going with Bournemouth at 2.21 is understandable, and heck, punters backing Fulham at 2.96 are respectable as well. It really is a toss of the coin between these clubs, and that’s why considering 3.20 to draw would be wise.

 

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