Bournemouth vs. Southampton Betting Tips: Dominic Solanke can shine against stuttering Saints

South coast rivals Bournemouth and Southampton lock horns at Dean Court on Wednesday night (7.30pm, Amazon Prime Video) in a match that pits together two teams in contrasting form.

Bournemouth (10th) are yet to suffer a single defeat in six matches under temporary manager Gary O’Neil who has rocketed his side up into the top-half of the table. Meanwhile, it’s likely to be a must win match for his opposite number, Ralph Hasenhuttl, whose Southampton (18th) future is hanging by a thread.

Below we’ve previewed the game and provided two tips…

Since that 9-0 drubbing against Liverpool which resulted in the sack for Scott Parker, Bournemouth have remarkably gone unbeaten in six matches (two wins, four draws) under interim boss Gary O’Neil, who remains the odds-on favourite in the next Bournemouth manager odds. Perhaps more remarkably, every other club in the Premier League has lost at least once during this time.

As for Southampton, they’ve picked up just one point from their last five matches, which has not only dropped them into the relegation zone but absolutely piled the pressure on manager Ralph Hasenhuttl in the Premier League Sack Race. The Austrian, who is just weeks short of marking four-years at St Mary’s, desperately needs a win on Wednesday night otherwise he could well join Parker in the Job Centre.

Bookmakers are pretty split for this one. Back home and in form on the back of an impressive unbeaten run, hosts Bournemouth (7/4) will be confident of claiming the spoils and in the process potentially give O’Neil the permanent post. The Saints (17/10) are without a win since August although they are unbeaten in their last five visits to Dean Court, winning each of the last two. Meanwhile, a draw could be the way to go at 12/5.

Fantasy Football players who recently purchased Dominic Solanke will be bouncing off the walls with glee following a return of a goal and three assists from his last two matches.

The Bournemouth striker was brilliant during the weekend’s entertaining 2-2 draw against Fulham, during which he opened the scoring after less than two minutes then later set-up Jefferson Lerma. He’s now racked-up seven shots on target this season - nearly double that of any of his teammates - two of which were registered against Fulham.

I’m backing Solanke to repeat that feat once again on Wednesday at 29/10 (William Hill) against a Saints side that are still yet to keep a clean sheet this season. The visitors will also be hindered by the absence of centre-back Armel Bella-Kotchap who dislocated his shoulder against West Ham.

Furthermore, if you really fancy Solanke’s chances you can back the striker at 10/1 to hit the target at least three times.
 

For the long shot we have an 18/1 price courtesy of bet365’s BetBuilder, which requires: Dominic Solanke to score anytime during the match, both Bournemouth and Southampton to score, and Saints defender Kyle Walker-Peters to be carded.

Solanke heads into the game with a swagger following his goal and assist against Fulham, which combined to take his goal contributions to six in his last five games. He’ll now be rubbing his hands at facing a side that has conceded in every single one of their 16 Premier League matches since April.

Neither side has exactly been prolific this season, yet with the added spice of a derby and pride at stake I fancy both teams to score on Wednesday. The Cherries have scored eight goals in their last four games, whereas the Saints - who have scored five goals in their last two visits to Dean Court - simply have to find the back of the net otherwise their manager will most likely be heading for the guillotine. 

Then finally, Kyle Walker-Peters to be carded has been added to spring the bet up to 18/1, with the right-back cautioned in each of his last two games.