- Bournemouth unbeaten in thirteen
- Only two Premier League home defeats this season
- Glasner searching for first win over Iraola
Crystal Palace travel to the South Coast to face a Bournemouth side who are on the cusp of the European places. For Palace, a run of unfortunate results, and the sides above them winning, has left them in a place where full focus should be on the Europa Conference League.
Andoni Iraola has been linked to the upcoming vacancy at Selhurst Park, but for now his focus will be on guiding his Bournemouth side into European football, and a win against Palace will send the Cherries sixth.
Recent fixtures between the sides have been a mixed bag, and with this game falling between the two semi finals against Shakhtar, it will be interesting to see how Glasner approaches what feels like a rather meaningless game for the Eagles.
A six-goal cracker at Selhurst last time out
Earlier in the season Palace and Bournemouth played out one of the most entertaining games of the Premier League season. The Cherries led by two goals to nil at halftime, before a quick fire double from Jean-Phillipe Mateta levelled the game just before seventy minutes.
Ryan Christie looked to have won all three points in the 89th minute, but Mateta sealed his hat trick with a 97th minute spot kick as the game ended 3-3.
Another game like that would wet the appetite ahead of Thursday’s second leg, but there is a sense of caution in terms of avoiding injuries before such a huge game.
Head-to-head
Oliver Glasner has not beaten Andoni Iraola once in the Premier League. Three draws and one win in the Spaniard’s favour tell the tale of the matchup, however Palace have won four of the last ten meetings between the two sides.
The last win came back in May 2023, a 2-0 win at Selhurst Park. Bournemouth are currently on the longest unbeaten run in the Premier League, without defeat in their previous thirteen consecutive games.
The Cherries haven’t lost at home since January, when they were beaten 3-2 by Arsenal. In fact, they’ve only lost twice at home in the Premier League all season.
Despite their impressive unbeaten run, Iraola’s side have only won twice in their last eight games, with six draws. Bournemouth undoubtedly have more to play for and more on the line in this game, and after Brentford’s emphatic win at home to West Ham, the Cherries simply need to win to keep up with the pack chasing Europe.
My prediction is a 2-1 Bournemouth win – I think their need for a win will see them through, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was an air of caution in the Palace performance, nor would I blame the side if that were the case.
