Bournemouth continue their push for a top 10 finish as they host bottom side Sheffield United in a Premier League fixture on Saturday. Sheffield have struggled to cope with the rigours of topflight football and should find things difficult against the Cherries.
Bournemouth are coming off a 2-0 victory over Burnley in their previous Premier League fixture. They were mostly untroubled for much of the contest with goals in each half from Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo earning them the win.
That was a vital result for Bournemouth as it ended a run of six matches across all competitions without a win. The result also kept alive their quest for a top half finish as they remain seven points behind 10th placed Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Saturday’s clash is at the Vitality Stadium where Bournemouth have claimed some key wins, including a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United and a 3-0 triumph over Fulham. However, Andoni Iraola’s men are without a clean sheet in four of their last five Premier League home matches.
Sheffield United travel to the Vitality Stadium off the back of another humiliating home defeat as they were hammered 6-0 by Arsenal. They were constantly carved open by the Gunners and also failed to muster a single attempt on target.
The Blades are looking increasingly likely to take the plunge back into the Championship as they sit bottom of the standings, 11 points from safety. Chris Wilder’s men have suffered six defeats in their last seven matches.
Sheffield United have also found things difficult on their travels with a 3-1 win at fellow strugglers Luton Town, their only away win this season. They were beaten 1-0 by Wolves in their previous fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Bournemouth are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 1/3 by William Hill. An unlikely win for Sheffield United is valued at 8/1 by BetVictor while a draw is set at odds of 9/2 by Betfred.
Head to head
Bournemouth have a 5-2 advantage with two draws from nine previous matches against Sheffield United. The Cherries are unbeaten in the last three meetings and claimed a 3-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in November.
Players to watch
Dominic Solanke remains the leading scorer for Bournemouth with 14 goals and will be the one to watch on Saturday. The striker is priced at 10/11 by bet365 to get on the score sheet.
Bournemouth can be vulnerable at the back and Sheffield United will be keen to capitalise. Oliver McBurnie has four Premier League goals this season and having been on target in the reverse fixture, could be worth keeping an eye on at 5/1 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
There were over 3.5 goals in the reverse fixture and a repeat is priced at 13/10 by BoyleSports. Both teams could also be backed to score at 4/5 by BetVictor.
With Bournemouth priced at minimal odds for a straight victory, a win and both teams to score could be considered for more value at 15/8 with bet365.
This English Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Sheffield United will be played on Mar 9, 2024 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best AFC Bournemouth vs Sheffield United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.