Bournemouth travel to National League side Yeovil Town for an English FA Cup third round clash on Saturday. The Cherries appear to have fully turned a corner following a rough patch and should have too much for the hosts.
Yeovil Town came through the qualifiers in the FA Cup and have played every round of the competition this season. They reached the third round thanks to a 1-0 victory over Stevenage with Charlie Wakefield getting the goal.
Things have not been as smooth for Yeovil Town in the National League as they are currently in the bottom half of the table. Darren Saril’s men have lost their last two matches, including a 2-1 home defeat to Torquay United last Sunday.
One of the problems for Yeovil Town in recent weeks is a vulnerability at the back as they are without a clean sheet in their last three matches, conceding six goals in that run.
After going through a rough patch in November and December, Bournemouth appear to have returned to their best form as they ended 2021 on a high. They are top of the Championship, three points clear of closets challengers Blackburn Rovers.
Last Monday’s clash with Peterborough was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak but Bournemouth still travel to Yeovil Town off the back of two straight wins. First, they claimed a 1-0 victory at QPR before easing to a 3-0 triumph over Cardiff City.
Manager Scott Parker will also be pleased to see Bournemouth rediscover their defensive discipline having kept clean sheets in their last two matches.
How the bookies view it
Bournemouth have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 2/5 by Unibet to claim the win. An unlikely victory for Yeovil Town is valued at 17/2 by Coral while a draw is set at odds of 4/1 by betway.
Head to head
Bournemouth have an 11-2 advantage with five draws from 18 previous matches against Yeovil Town. The Cherries have won the last two meetings at Huish Park Stadium, including a 3-1 victory in a friendly back in 2017.
Players to watch
Bournemouth appear to have rediscovered their solidity at the back with clean sheets in their last two matches. Gary Cahill and Lloyd Kelly are usually at the heart of the defence and can lead the team to another clean sheet at 20/23 with BoyleSports.
At the other end of the pitch, Dominic Solanke will be looking to carry his Championship form into the FA Cup. The striker has 18 league goals this season and is priced at 20/21 by bet365 to score anytime.
Anything else catch the eye?
Having earned a 3-0 victory in their previous fixture, Bournemouth could be backed in the -1 handicap market at 23/20 with Betfred. They have also won to nil in their last two matches and that run could be tipped to continue at 23/20 with Unibet.
Bournemouth scored in both halves in their last fixture and could be set for a repeat at 5/4 with Unibet.
This FA Cup match between Yeovil Town and AFC Bournemouth will be played on Jan 8, 2022 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best Yeovil Town vs AFC Bournemouth prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
