Bournemouth

Chris Adams
BBC Sport journalist

The Premier League's draw specialists Bournemouth welcome Manchester United to Vitality Stadium on Friday night (20:00 GMT) with both sides seeking a positive result to take into the international break.

An uneventful 0-0 draw at second-bottom Burnley last week extended the Cherries' unbeaten run to 10 league games, the longest in the division, but it felt like an opportunity missed in terms of the chase for a European place.

Cherries drawing lots

The 14 draws recorded by Andoni Iraola's side this season are two more than any other team in Europe's top five leagues and five of those have finished 0-0 – again, a league-high tally.

Another stalemate on the Dorset coast would be their fifth in a row. No top-flight side has drawn as many consecutive matches since Fulham in December 2020-January 2021.

Bournemouth, in 10th place, are unbeaten in their last five against United and the teams played out a thrilling 4-4 draw at Old Trafford in November, when eight different goalscorers played their part in one of the most entertaining games of the season.

Since then, star man Antoine Semenyo has departed. He remains their top scorer and the Cherries have lacked a cutting edge in attack recently, drawing blanks in three of their last four.

They had 22 shots against Burnley without finding the net – the most they've ever had in a top-flight game without scoring – prompting Iraola to admit: "It's costing us a lot of points."

The Spaniard will be hoping the 500-mile round-trip takes its toll on the visitors. His side have won three of their four Friday night games in the league, while United have won just one of their five.

United's Champions League charge

Manchester United opened up a three-point gap between themselves in third and Aston Villa in fourth with a solid, if unspectacular, victory when the two sides met on Sunday.

A strong second-half showing gave head coach Michael Carrick five wins from five at Old Trafford in his second spell in charge, but he has found things a little trickier on the road, suffering his sole defeat against Newcastle United and relying on a late equaliser to hold West Ham United.

Portuguese playmaker Bruno Fernandes set up two goals in the Villa game to surpass David Beckham's club record of 15 assists in a single Premier League season. Now, with eight games remaining, he has the overall record in his sights.

The United captain, who has created six or more chances in each of his last three league games, has been involved in eight goals in his eight appearances against Bournemouth. He will need all his creative nous to unlock a home defence seeking its third clean sheet in a row.

With a 24-day wait until their next fixture, United and Carrick will be desperate to keep the feelgood factor going at a ground where they have lost just two of their eight away games in this competition (won four, drawn two).

Bournemouth have got an excellent record against Manchester United, who haven't beaten them home or away in any of their past five attempts.

United do look like a different team under Michael Carrick, and they have got some momentum as well as a Champions League spot in their sights.

But while Bournemouth used to be a team who I always fancied to score, and could be quite open, recently they have become a lot tighter at the back.

The Cherries have drawn their past four games, with three of those matches ending goalless, and the other one finishing 1-1.

They have now drawn 14 of their 30 league games this season - including a 4-4 thriller when these sides met at Old Trafford in December - and this smells of another draw to me.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport journalist

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Friday's Premier League game against Manchester United at Vitality Stadium (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his chat with BBC Radio Solent:

• Iraola said Tyler Adams and Lewis Cook had a chance to be available for Friday's match, but neither will be involved. He predicts they will be back in action after the international break. On the other hand, Ben Gannon-Doak "has a chance to play some minutes".

• On Alex Scott, who is in contention to be named in Thomas Tuchel's England squad: "He is playing incredibly well, probably in his best moment since he arrived. He is covering the six, eight, 10 and physically in a great moment."

• Iraola also says he is "very proud" of Rayan, who has earned his first Brazil call-up. He says it is also important for the club to have a Brazil international represent them and it shows how far the Cherries have come.

• Iraola was asked about his side's poor goalscoring run, drawing blanks in their past two matches: "In both games we had over 20 shots. The chances in both games have been more than enough to score. We have to be more ruthless and take every chance and make the keeper work for every shot."

• On Friday's opponents: "The way they are playing lately, it is hard to think that we will get a clean sheet. They are scoring for fun lately and they have top players. We will need to get goals to get something."

Hit play above to hear more from Iraola speaking to BBC Radio Solent or listen on BBC Sounds here

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Image source, Getty Images

We are getting to the stage of the season where every Premier League team is managing injuries in their squad as the sheer volume and intensity of games begins to take its toll.

But who has been most affected by injuries across the campaign so far?

Ben Dinnery, from Premier Injuries Limited, has provided the data below, showing the number of domestic injuries each top-flight team has suffered, defined by a player missing at least one Premier League game.

The data has been taken from the opening weekend up to and including 18 March.

Despite this table listing domestic injuries, it is unsurprising that the top three of Arsenal, Chelsea and Aston Villa have all competed in European competition, with the Gunners still fighting on four fronts and the Blues also coming off the back of a much-shortened pre-season following their Club World Cup victory.

Perhaps more surprisingly, however, is the fact Arsenal's 31 domestic injuries so far comfortably leads the way, illustrating the strength and depth available to Mikel Arteta to still have his side nine points clear at the top of the table.

The graphic below shows Tottenham lead the way for days missed by injured players, illustrating the issues faced by Thomas Frank, who had to cope with long-term absentees including Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison.

Both West Ham and Brentford are in the bottom three for domestic injuries and days missed through those injuries, while Arsenal and Villa are in the top three for both.

Chelsea drop down the table when looking at days missed, showing they have predominately suffered from short absences spread throughout the squad.

It is worth pointing out that Newcastle's two longest absences this season - Emil Krafth (120 days) and Yoane Wissa (88 days), who had not yet even trained with his new side, resulted from injuries picked up on international duty and are not factored into the figures.

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth's fans may have been forgiven for joking about their march towards world domination on two fronts on Monday.

Overnight, minority owner Michael B Jordan became the first Premier League club owner to win an Oscar, after claiming the Best Actor category at the Academy Awards for his film Sinners.

Later the same day, winger Rayan received his first call-up to the Brazil senior squad, with the 19-year-old having evidently impressed national boss Carlo Ancelotti since his January move from Vasco da Gama.

The teenager will jet off to the USA after this weekend for Brazil's friendlies with France and Croatia in Boston and Orlando as he attempts to make a late run for Ancelotti's World Cup squad.

"I love his attitude. I don't know if he will come to the World Cup, but his future is bright," the Italian commented.

But while it opens the previously unfathomable prospect of the Cherries having two Brazil internationals in their forward line in Rayan and his "big brother" Evanilson, on the field they have been a little less "box office" than usual of late.

Despite stretching their unbeaten league run to 10 games on Saturday at Burnley, the last four of those games have been draws – three of them goalless.

Before this season, Bournemouth did not really 'do' goalless draws since Andoni Iraola's arrival as head coach, with only three 0-0s in his first two seasons combined. However, there have been five this term.

Having shipped 14 goals in the five league games that immediately preceded this 10-game unbeaten run, the Cherries will be pleased to have been more adept at keeping the back door closed – but has this come at the expense of attacking ambition?

At Turf Moor, the Cherries recorded 22 shots with an xG of 2.88, indicating that clinical finishing rather than ambition was the issue.

But while Bournemouth are unbeaten against teams currently in the bottom seven positions in the table – the first time this has happened in Iraola's three seasons in charge – another unbeaten run is put on the line on Friday as Manchester United, who have never beaten an Iraola side in five attempts, are the visitors.

Former Bournemouth players Brian Stock and Warren Feeney discuss their move to Vietnam on the latest episode of BBC Radio Solent's Cherries: Unpicked.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore all Bournemouth content on BBC Sounds

Sam Davis
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth are becoming a tough nut to crack, particularly since the turn of the year. Perhaps uncharacteristically, the Cherries now have a real steel about them, resulting in plenty of clean sheets and an improved resilience that must be admired.

For context, a summer clear out of the majority of their defensive unit provided an understandably shaky start defensively for Iraola's men. After losing Kerkez, Zabarnyi, Huijsen and Kepa, it was no surprise the defensive side of the Cherries took some time to form itself again.

Since then, the emergence of defender James Hill and improved performances from new goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic have certainly been a bonus. However, as is often the case, the balance has been a tricky one to find, as now, the Cherries are faltering at the top end of the pitch.

We used to think that Bournemouth's chaotic and offensive style always meant they'd score goals. Recently though, that hasn't been the case.

It's probably obvious to say, but offensive numbers have been negatively impacted by the loss of that "Semenyo magic". Plus, the absence of last season's regular goal threat, Justin Kluivert, has also cost us dear - so I guess it shouldn't come as a major surprise that the goals have dried up somewhat.

Is there a little more to this though? Andoni Iraola is known for his high-energy attacking football, and that has always meant a significant drop-off in the second half of seasons. Indeed, any side managed by Iraola has always gained fewer points in the second half of their respective campaigns.

So, perhaps Andoni is purposely adapting his style to compete more effectively during the run-in perhaps? If that's the case, a couple more wins would do it...

Find more from Sam Davis at Back of the Net, external

Celtic's chances of keeping right-back Julian Araujo beyond his loan from Bournemouth have been given a boost. (Daily Record), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Burnley v Bournemouth.

Here are some of your comments:

Burnley fans

Steve: Some Steller performances, dug in and showed attacking form. Dominated quite a big chunk of the game with Bournemouth having to throw bodies in the way. Just couldn't get the final touch in.

Alan: Could somebody please tell me where Scott Parker gets his rose tinted spectacles. I appreciate it is his role to talk up his team and motivate them in any way possible, but Burnley are worse now than at the start of the season. Performances are generally abject with the occasional decent passages of play, but these are few and far between.

James: Watching Burnley is only slightly less painful than toothache. It hurts, but you keep thinking it can't get worse, whilst knowing deep down it will. Relegation will bring some relief in that the team might play football again for a while, but always with the nagging doubt that the toothache will return. Please for the fans, make changes now and prove there is a long term solution to this pain. Saturday, yet another poor game where two poor sides huffed and puffed, to the detriment of money paying supporters. We are relegated, please in the remaining games entertain us and give us hope.

Graham: A match of two halves... Sadly, both the same! Neither team dominated and, though Burnley played better than recently, it wasn't enough to beat an average Bournemouth team. Burnley can survive but, strangely, need to actually score some goals!

Bournemouth fans

Martin: We were poor today. I think we're missing Semenyo's goals. Kroupi is playing out of position and good chances were spurned by Unal and Brooks. Hill was excellent once again, and it's 10 games unbeaten and another clean sheet.

Dave: Another draw! We have to start putting away the chances we create. Evanilson and Unal are just not goalscorers. Must make some changes in the summer.

Guy: I was born in Winton in 1942. In those days our team at Dean Court used to have a coach. Why not get one now who knows how to motivate the team to score goals?

Terry: Fed up now. I love my team but plus 20 shots, 2 on target, according to stats. Just think if we'd won five of our14 draws -10 more points, further up table. Bring on the Red Devils - spend a week shooting on target! Up the Cherries.

Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic speaking to BBC Radio Solent after the Cherries' draw with Burnley: "It was a very difficult game.

"We were under pressure because everyone expects us to win. Burnley also have to win because of their situation.

"The game was a bit open. We were unlucky in some situations, like the ball didn't bounce to our feet and we didn't manage to score.

"I'm happy to get another clean sheet and the fans were very good.

"We are making chances and playing well - we are just not scoring goals.

"This is a matter of luck. In some situations we were unlucky.

"In our next games I believe everything will come back and we will start scoring again."

You can hear more from Petrovic on BBC Sounds

Pundits Joe Hart and Ashley Williams join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Sunderland 0-1 Brighton

• Burnley 0-0 Bournemouth

• Chelsea 0-1 Newcastle

• Arsenal 2-0 Everton

Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth were denied all three points by a late Armando Broja goal when they met Burnley at Vitality Stadium in December and a draw was the result again at Turf Moor on Saturday.

With his side becoming experts in stalemates - no team has drawn more Premier League games this season - manager Andoni Iraola said before Saturday's kick-off that another "draw is not good for us or them".

In fact, the Cherries had looked determined to leave Burnley with a win after making a promising start.

Evanilson was slipped into the box by Eli Junior Kroupi and rounded goalkeeper Martin Dubravka only for his effort to be cleared off the line by Humphreys only two minutes in as Iraola's side piled pressure on the Premier League strugglers.

Four corners won by the visitors inside four minutes told the story of the opening exchanges but the Cherries failed to sustain that momentum and were lucky not to be behind at half-time as Jaidon Anthony hit the woodwork for the hosts.

Bournemouth had chances to secure a victory in stoppage time, but Enes Unal failed to turn home Adrien Truffert's low cross from close range, before fellow substitute David Brooks could not direct a header on goal from another Truffert delivery.

Iraola's side might be on a 10-match unbeaten run, but six of those games have ended in draws. And their 14th stalemate of the season would feel like another big chance missed as they look to reach Europe for the very first time.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, speaking to BBC MOTD after the goalless draw against Burnley: "We had more than enough chances to score today. We had a lot of time, we had a lot of shots, but we haven't finished.

"We arrived in good spots. We went against the keeper straight away. It is costing us a lot. Defensively, we are not conceding goals, but we are lacking on the offensive side.

"We had more than enough chances and it's quite clear we should have scored. It's clear with the penalty. It's happened twice in a row. I can't understand how the referee and the VAR don't call it. Worrall had the clear intention of kicking him [Evanilson].

On Hannibal tackle: "It's an orange tackle. I think yellow is enough. I understand the yellow. It can be a grey situation but the penalty isn't a grey situation."

You can listen to more from Iraola on BBC Sounds here

You can also listen to Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic's post-match reaction here

Did you know?

• Bournemouth have drawn five Premier League matches 0-0 this season, more than any other club. The Cherries have had back-to-back league games end goalless for the first time since April 2022 in the Championship, against Sheffield United and Middlesbrough.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Burnley's performance

What did you make of Bournemouth's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Burnley manager Scott Parker makes four changes from the 2-0 defeat by Everton.

Zian Flemming shakes off an injury to start while James Ward-Prowse, Josh Laurent and Quilindschy Hartman also start for the hosts.

Burnley XI: Dubravka, Walker, Hartman, Esteve, Foster, Anthony, Humphreys, Flemming, Ward-Prowse, Mejbri, Laurent.

Subs: Weiss, Worrall, Ugochukwu, Edwards, Florentino, Tchaouna, Pires, Broja, Barnes.

There are two changes from Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola after a goalless draw against Brentford.

Adam Smith and Eli Junior Kroupi come in as Alex Jimenez and Tyler Adams miss out.

Bournemouth XI: Petrovic, Truffert, Senesi, Scott, Evanilson, Christie, Smith, Tavernier, Kroupi, Hill, Rayan.

Subs: Mandas, Brooks, Gannon-Doak, Diakite, Jimenez, Adli, Unal, Toth, Milosavljevic.

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Burnley v Bournemouth - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Sunderland v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Arsenal v Everton (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Chelsea v Newcastle (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• West Ham v Man City (20:00)

Kick-offs 15:00 unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Sunderland v Brighton" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v Everton", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Chris Adams
BBC Sport journalist

Burnley continue their improbable fight for Premier League survival at Turf Moor on Saturday with the visit of a Bournemouth side on the league's longest unbeaten run.

Just one league win since October - away to Crystal Palace last month - has left Scott Parker's side 19th in the table and nine points from safety. They have the worst home record and worst defensive record in the league, damning indictments of any team.

They couldn't, could they?

Directly above them, West Ham United are showing signs of life, but the faltering form of teams such as Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur will have given the east Lancashire outfit a glimmer of hope.

The Clarets enter the game looking to stave off an unwanted record in front of their own fans. They're without a victory in their past 10 at Turf Moor and have never gone 11 successive home matches without winning in a season.

Last week's 2-0 defeat at Everton means Burnley have shipped two or more goals in 20 league games this term. They have conceded a league-high 58 goals, but in truth there are problems at both ends of the pitch.

Burnley have opened the scoring in just five league games this season, fewer than any other side. The lowest number of opening goals a team has scored across a full campaign in the division is seven, by Aston Villa in 2015-16 and Norwich City in 2021-22, both of whom finished bottom.

Iraola on a roll

Three successive draws have extended Bournemouth's unbeaten run to nine league games (won four, drawn five), which is the best ongoing sequence in the Premier League.

Just one league defeat in 2026 has Andoni Iraola's side sitting in a comfortable ninth position and with outside hopes of a European place.

Ninth is where they ended up last season – the joint-best finish in their history, alongside the 2016-17 campaign – and they are in with a chance of bettering their club record top-flight points tally of 56.

The teams shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Vitality Stadium in December, a somewhat low-key affair for two sides whose fixtures have generally been action-packed this term. Only Manchester United's games have featured more goals than Bournemouth's or Burnley's this season.

A superb cross for Evanilson's equaliser against Sunderland earlier this month moved Marcus Tavernier to nine goal involvements for the season (five goals and four assists), meaning the midfielder is enjoying his joint-most-productive campaign for the Cherries – he also registered nine in 2022-23.

With the knowledge that Burnley have conceded more goals from crosses than any other side in the division this season (13), Tavernier will be hoping to put his wand of a left foot to good use again.

I remember going for a 2-0 Bournemouth win when these two sides met before Christmas.

Bournemouth went 1-0 up, so I thought I was on to score 40 points when I heard there had been another goal late on, but it turned out to be a Burnley equaliser.

That's the way my season has been going with predictions, but I am actually going to go for another Cherries win, and by the same scoreline too.

I've been saying for a while that Burnley have got too much to do to stay up, and it definitely isn't happening now.

I still think Scott Parker's side will be competitive, but I don't see them getting anything against his old club this time.

Bournemouth have not lost in the league since 3 January but they have drawn their past three games, so they are due a win.

Sutton's prediction: 0-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Bournemouth midfielder David Brooks has been speaking to BBC Radio Solent about his return from injury.

Brooks missed three games across January with an ankle issue but has been involved in the Cherries last four outings, starting once."

"I felt like it was lingering in the first couple games, but I feel like I'm back moving properly now and hopefully I can contribute more to the team," he explained.

"I don't know the decision making process for the gaffer, I just try and make myself available if he needs to call upon me.

"When the lads are doing well there's no reason to change it, especially from the gaffer's point of view.

"I'm just training and playing to try get into the starting 11."

Listen to the full interview here on BBC Sounds

Grace Wheeler
BBC Sport

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Burnley at Turf Moor (kick-off 15:00).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Iraola gave us an update on his team news and said: "The squad is going to be the same if not very similar to the one we had against Brentford. Justin Kluivert is still far, Lewis Cook was always going to be the international break and Ben Gannon-Doak has started training with the group. He is coming back from a big injury and after surgery you have to be careful, it's still early for him today."

• Iraola added: "I don't expect anyone else to miss the game."

• The Spaniard said that his team "will have to play all the seconds of all the game", against Burnley despite them being placed 19th.

• On the Cherries making progress this season: "There is still one quarter to play, we are in a good spot. There is still a lot of points to play and we want more. I hope we can finish in a good place. A few wins can make all the difference."

• Bournemouth have not lost a Premier League game since 3 January but Iraola said: "It doesn't feel as good because the last few have been draws and we wanted more but we are still in a good place and we have the chance tomorrow. We have to focus now and every game is decisive."

• Bournemouth went 11 unbeaten in the league last season - their best ever Premier League run - and are currently nine without a loss. Iraola said: "For me we have to use it as motivation because this season is a better run of results [compared to last season]. I hope we can do it."

Hit play above to hear an Iraola interview with BBC Radio Solent or listen on BBC Sounds here

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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