AFC Bournemouth vs Burnley Predictions

• Bournemouth are in the grip of a major injury crisis.
• The Cherries scored just six times combined in their last 10 Premier League games.
• Burnley have averaged just 1.29 goals per game in the Premier League this term.
• Burnley beat Bournemouth home and away last season.

Both teams fresh from wins

Just two points and two places separate Bournemouth in 14^th from Burnley in 12^th ahead of their Premier League clash at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.

After wins in their last assignments, the picture for both clubs looks much better than it might have done a week ago, and another triumph for either side this weekend could result in a rise to the Premier League’s top ten for the victors.

Bournemouth produced one of the shock results of the season last week when they battled their way to a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge – a result that ended a club record horrible run of five straight Premier League defeats.

The Cherries’ injury problems

Behind the outstanding win however, there is still a mounting injury crisis for Eddie Howe to contend with. Nathan Ake, Adam Smith, Steve Cook, Harry Wilson, Charlie Daniels and Lloyd Kelly will all miss the Cherries game against Burnley this weekend, while there are also injury concerns over key attacking duo Callum Wilson and Joshua King.

Even with a full complement of players available, goals have been thin on the ground for Bournemouth. The Cherries hit the net just six times in their last 10 Premier League fixtures overall since early October, and on Saturday, Bournemouth host a Burnley team that has also been struggling for final third fluency of late.

The Clarets’ 1-0 win over Newcastle last week helped to halt a slide of three straight defeats, though Chris Woods’ winning header was just the second time Burnley found the net in 360 minutes of top flight football.

Few goals likely?

Sean Dyche’s often critiqued footballing philosophy generally results in few goal scoring chances being created – something that is reflected in this season’s statistics.

Burnley have scored just 1.29 per 90 minutes of Premier League action this term, while the Clarets are the 4^th worst team in the division when it comes to average attempts on goal (10.4) per game.

Bournemouth rank just behind them as the 6^th worst team in that metric, averaging just 11.1 attempts per contest, and the Cherries have averaged a paltry 1.17 goals per game since the summer.

Whatever lens you view it through, Saturday’s game pits two relatively toothless attacks against each other at the Vitality Stadium, and that in turn makes the under 2.5 total goal market an attractive option for the fixture.

With Bournemouth’s crippling and lengthening injury list a major factor, we’re tipping Burnley to eke out a 1-0 win this weekend however. The Clarets beat Bournemouth home and away last season, and that positive recent record should give them enough impetus to take advantage of their host’s personnel crisis.