European hopefuls Bournemouth host Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, and we’ve got the latest team news and confirmed lineups included in our preview ahead of the action.
Bournemouth vs Wolves Preview
Looking to build on a comfortable victory over bottom-of-the-table Southampton last time out, Bournemouth face another team threatened with relegation from the Premier League in Wolves on Saturday afternoon.
The Cherries ran out as 3-1 victors over the Saints last Saturday, in which Dango Ouattara, Ryan Christie and Marcus Tavernier netted a goal apiece, following on from their 2-0 win over Everton in the FA Cup the weekend prior.
Andoni Iraola’s side have now lost just one of their last 15 matches across all competitions, a 2-0 defeat to league leaders Liverpool, and they currently occupy fifth place in the English top-flight table, primed for European qualification.
A victory in Gameweek 26 could see them rise up to fourth if Manchester City fail to beat Liverpool on Sunday.
Moving forward together on Saturday đ pic.twitter.com/xmh21vQxvj
— AFC Bournemouth đ (@afcbournemouth) February 19, 2025
Wolves, meanwhile, are down in 17th place in the table, just two points clear of the relegation zone. Vitor Pereira enjoyed an impressive start to life at Molineux, going unbeaten in his first three matches, but their form has taken a hit in recent weeks, as they have now won just one of their last seven in the league.
Last time out, they were narrowly beaten 2-1 by Liverpool at Anfield. Top goalscorer Matheus Cunha scored the West Midlanders’ sole goal in that one, taking his tally for the campaign up to an impressive 13 across all competitions.
The reverse fixture, played towards the end of November, ended 4-2 in favour of Bournemouth, with Justin Kluivert netting a hat-trick from the spot in Wolverhampton. Of course, the pair have also drawn each other in the FA Cup fifth round, so they are due to meet at the Vitality, once again, in a week’s time.
Bournemouth Team News
The Cherries remain without several first-team players for this weekend, with Evanilson (foot), Enes Unal (knee), Marcos Senesi (thigh), Adam Smith (unspecified) and Julian Araujo (thigh) all ruled out through injury.
James Hill (thigh) is also a doubt after spending close to a month on the sidelines.
In more positive news, Julio Soler is expected to be back with the squad after a spell away at the South American U20 Championship, while Alex Scott and Luis Sinisterra should make their returns from injury.
Wolves Team News
As for Wolves, Yerson Mosquera (knee), Enso Medina (knee), Sasa Kalajdzic (knee), Leon Chiwome (knee) and Hwang Hee-chan (thigh) are out, while Sam Johnstone, Jorgen Strand Larsen (thigh) and Emmanuel Agbadou are doubts.
With Hwang and Strand Larsen potentially missing out, January signing Marshall Munetsi could be in line for his first Premier League start. The Zimbabwe international made his league debut as a half-time substitute last time out.
Bournemouth vs Wolves Confirmed Lineups
Bournemouth Predicted Lineup:
Kepa; Hill, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Christie, Cook, Tavernier; Kluivert, Semenyo, Ouattara
Wolves Predicted Lineup:
Sa; Doherty, Bueno, Toti; Semedo, Andre, J Gomes, Ait-Nouri; Bellegarde, Munetsi; Cunha
Bournemouth vs Wolves Prediction
The Cherries are heavily favoured to prevail on Saturday among the UK’s best football betting sites at around 8/13, while a draw is rated at 16/5 and a victory for the visitors is priced at around 4/1.
Unsurprisingly, we at SportsCasting agree with the bookmakers and are favouring Bournemouth to claim a crucial victory in their quest for European qualification.
Iraola’s side have thrived this season, registering impressive wins over Manchester United (3-0), Nottingham Forest (5-0) and Newcastle (4-1) in recent months. We simply cannot see Wolves, who have conceded the third-most goals in the division this term (54), causing many, if any, problems for the south coast club.
Prediction: Bournemouth 2-0 Wolves
