Everton vs Bournemouth 26/07/20

26 July 2020

Relegation-threatened Bournemouth head to Goodison Park to tackle Everton in the Premier League season finale hopeful that win will be enough to keep their top-flight status. Curiously, five of their last six league H2H meetings saw over 2.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet.

A narrow 1-0 away win over Sheffield United has marked Everton’s first Premier League success after four matches (D2, L2), with four of them featuring under 1.5 goals. Indeed, seven of their eight league matches post restart have ended separating the sides by under 1.5 goals, with six producing a maximum of two goals. But, the Toffees have been a tough team to beat on home soil, as they come into this round after racking up an 11-game unbeaten run at home in the Premier League (W5, D6). Everton’s success during that 11-match sequence was based on a rock-solid defense that has shipped under 1.5 goals ten times, which has been true in three of their four top-flight H2Hs held at this venue (W4).

On the other hand, back-to-back defeats to Manchester City and Southampton, respectively, see Bournemouth enter this clash three points adrift of 17th-placed Aston Villa. Although three points remain an imperative for the Cherries, Edie Howe’s men have reeled off a series of underwhelming performances away from home ahead of this trip. Indeed, the visitors have lost all nine of their previous Premier League road games, conceding over 1.5 goals on seven of those occasions while drawing a blank on five. Additionally, Bournemouth’s inability to respond after shipping the opening goal saw them lose all ten of their top-flight trips in which they conceded first.