Bournemouth v Southampton: Premier League betting preview, free tip & TV

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Bournemouth v Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday.

Where to watch

Live on BT Sport 1, 2pm Sunday

Best bet

Southampton
2pts 2-1 Betfred, Hills

Team news

Bournemouth
Bournemouth defenders Nathan Ake, Chris Mepham, Charlie Daniels and Simon Francis are all out. Adam Smith (head) is an injury doubt.

Southampton
Moussa Djenepo and Sofiane Boufal are out. The Saints may rotate their squad.

Match preview

Eddie Howe masterminded Bournemouth's rise from League Two to the Premier League but his side are on the verge of relegation after five seasons in the top flight of English football.

The Cherries have shown some fight in their last three games, a goalless draw with Tottenham, a stirring 4-1 home win over Leicester, and Wednesday's 2-1 defeat at in-form Manchester City.

However, a run of seven defeats in eight games before that run may have left them with too much ground to make up and they cannot expect any favours from south-coast rivals Southampton.

Bournemouth's prospects looked bright when they won September's reverse fixture 3-1 at St Mary's to make it three victories in their first six games of the season.

Since then, though, Howe's men have claimed only five more victories in 30 attempts – three of them, bizarrely, against Champions League hopefuls Chelsea, Manchester United and Leicester.

Injuries have disrupted Bournemouth's plans this season. Striker Callum Wilson is the only outfield player to have started 30 of their 36 league matches and their defence is down to the bare bones for this game.

Their away form has been dismal, with 14 defeats in 18 games, but they have also lost at home to Crystal Palace (2-0) and Newcastle (4-1) since the restart.

Southampton, in contrast, have done most of their winning away from home this season as they recovered from a terrible autumn spell to reach mid-table security with ease.

A run of six losses in seven games, including a 9-0 home defeat to Leicester, left Ralph Hasenhuttl clinging to his job but the Austrian has rewarded the club's faith in him handsomely.

Southampton took 13 points from a possible 15 over Christmas and New Year, including wins over Chelsea, Tottenham and Leicester, and they have returned to action impressively after the restart.

They eased to away wins over Bournemouth's fellow strugglers Norwich and Watford, stood firm against rampant Manchester City in a 1-0 home win, and ended Manchester United's winning run with a late equaliser at Old Trafford on Monday.

Southampton have won seven of their 11 games against clubs in the bottom six and the prolific Danny Ings, who scored his 20th league goal of the campaign in Thursday's 1-1 draw with Brighton, should cause his former club plenty of problems.

Key stat

Bournemouth have kept only two clean sheets in their last 25 Premier League matches.

Not got a bet365 account? Sign up today and get up to £100 in bet credits.

Up to £100 in Bet Credits for new customers at bet365. Min deposit £5. Bet Credits available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.

CLAIM OFFER HERE

MORE FREE BETS

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport

Like us on Facebook RacingPostSport