Premier League: Leeds Need Victory at the Vitality

Bournemouth vs Leeds United

Leeds United are set for another Premier League relegation six-pointer as they travel to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth.

The Whites were unable to pick up a valuable win last time out against Leicester, who remain in the relegation zone after their 1-1 draw.

Leeds will now look to end their four-game winless streak as they face the Cherries, who are in 15th, just one point above Leeds as of this writing but could be up by more after their midweek match against Southampton.

Talking Points

Bournemouth still need to battle

Bournemouth are not out of the woods yet in terms of relegation. They are still down in 15th in the Premier League table, just four points clear of the bottom three and one point above opponents Leeds.

Although, the Cherries do have a game in hand against bottom-side Southampton, which will be a massive opportunity for them to improve their Premier League 2023 odds of survival.

Bournemouth saw their first two-game winning streak of the season snapped in emphatic fashion as they were hammered 4-0 at home by West Ham. It was the Cherries’ heaviest home loss since suffering a 4-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League in December 2018.

Bournemouth are now back level with Leeds in terms of most goals conceded this season with 63, although the Cherries have played a game fewer.

But Bournemouth should fancy their chances of hurting Leeds’ own shaky defence. Striker Dominic Solanke has been in fine form over the last month. He has two goals and two assists in his last six games with 23 total shots, nine of which were on target.

Young Dango Outtara has also emerged as a dangerous weapon off the Bournemouth bench and can change the game with his sizzling pace.

Leeds’ end losing skid but winless run continues

Leeds United finally ended their three-game losing skid as they drew 1-1 with Leicester City in midweek. Luis Sinisterra gave Leeds an early lead, but Jamie Vardy came off the bench and scored just his second Premier League goal of the season to give the Foxes a point.

Patrick Bamford missed a glorious opportunity to win the game late on as Leeds’ attacking problems continue.

Leeds coach Javi Gracia started both Bamford and Rodrigo against Leicester with the hopes of boosting the attack, but they are still struggling to score enough goals amid their survival fight.

Sinisterra has been delivering Premier League 2023 highlights of late with three goals in his last five games, but Bamford and Rodrigo have not delivered the goals. Rodrigo, the team’s leading scorer with 11 Premier League goals, has scored just once in eight games since returning from injury in March.

Gracia has surprisingly not turned to Wilfried Gnonto in his continuing search for an attacking spark. The Italian teenager was an unused substitute against Leicester as Gracia made only two changes.

Gracia has already tried several different attacking quartets and has still been unable to find one that works. It remains to be seen what combination he will field against the Cherries.

Leeds have the second-worst away record in the Premier League this season. Despite scoring a respectable 19 goals – which is the same as Manchester United – they have picked up just nine points from 16 games, with two wins and 11 defeats.

History

The Leeds-Bournemouth matchup has been completely one-sided historically. Leeds have won 11 of their 14 all-time meetings, with Bournemouth winning just once.

The two sides faced each other for the first time in the Premier League earlier in the season. The Whites won at Elland Road as they stormed back from 3-1 down to win 4-3. Crysencio Summerville scored the winner six minutes from time.

Betting Tip

SBOTOP odds have Leeds United installed as 2.51 favourites to come away with a rare away win. Bournemouth are priced at 2.64, while a draw is 3.10.

While Leeds are not in the best of form at the moment, they will continue to battle at Bournemouth as they fight for their Premier League lives.

And since these are the two worst defences in the Premier League, it’s a decent bet to see a fair number of goals in this six-pointer showdown.

 

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