AFC Bournemouth vs Norwich Predictions

• Only three players have outscored Teemu Pukki in the Championship since August 2018
• Three of Bournemouth’s last four games have seen both teams score
• Norwich have kept one clean sheet in 15 games
• Bournemouth have won just one of seven clashes with Norwich

Two Sides Chase Promotion

Two relegated sides clash on Sunday at the Vitality, as Bournemouth and Norwich look to fuel their bids for promotion. Neither side have made a perfect start, with the Canaries getting a shock in their 2-2 draw at home to Preston, nearly losing after trailing twice.

Bournemouth won a topsy-turvy opener against Blackburn here and will be out to make it two wins from two, but will they be able to see out this difficult encounter?

Bournemouth Shaping Up Well

Norwich were made early promotion favourites, but there was less confidence in Bournemouth making a strong start. However, the Cherries have regrouped after major departures in order to take four points from their opening two matches. While they looked short up front without Callum Wilson and Josh King, their midfield has stepped up in return, while Dominic Solanke opened his account last weekend.

Norwich certainly have the firepower to cause problems at this level. Since the start of 2018-19, Norwich striker Teemu Pukki is the fourth-highest goalscorer in the Championship (30 goals, excluding play-offs), despite spending an entire season out of the division. Despite that, they dipped into the transfer market to add Jordan Hugill to their frontline, while Adam Idah has already made an impression.

Goals at the Vitality

The Cherries have looked open since arriving in the Championship, with seven goals scored across their opening two matches. They lost 2-1 at Man City in the EFL Cup in midweek, while we see both teams scoring for the fourth time in five games for Bournemouth here.

Norwich have attacking options, but they showed their defensive issues in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Preston. The Canaries have one clean sheet in their last 15 matches in all competitions, while Bournemouth are strong enough to exploit that. We think both sides have enough going forward to find the net here, so we’re starting our predictions with both teams to score.

Bournemouth have won just one of their last seven league meetings with Norwich (D3 L3). However, Norwich are looking for their first away league win against Bournemouth since January 2015, when they came from 1-0 down to win 2-1 in Alex Neil’s first game in charge. There’s little between the pair and we see them sharing a draw, making 1-1 our correct score prediction for this clash.