Bournemouth (A) Preview
Brady Frost, Feature Writer
Twitter: @brady0894
Source for image above: HTAFC
Huddersfield travel to Bournemouth, the league’s top scorers but can Town cause a shock in front of the home fans at the Vitality Stadium? Tom Jordan from fan podcast Back Of The Net checks in on The Cherries for us.
Two wins, two 2-0 wins, but unfortunately it’s come at a cost. If the trip to Bournemouth wasn’t bad enough, both Christopher Schindler and Josh Koroma have been ruled out for three months of the season while Jonathan Hogg is expected to miss the game this weekend.
While six points in a week has boosted the mood of the fans, the injury news will test Corberán’s squad over this gruelling winter period where Huddersfield still have six games to play before the 3rd January.
This is why even with two wins on the trot, the Bournemouth match seems like a bit of a free hit. The Cherries are second in the league and are the top scorers in the Championship with 29 goals going into the game. With many Town fans not expecting to win anyway, it might be an opportunity to tinker with the side given that there is a more winnable match in midweek against Coventry.
Carlos Corberán also knows the difficult task at hand facing Bournemouth, speaking in his press conference he said: "We know that to get something positive from this game it will demand a very good performance."
If you’re the sort of person who likes to look at the head-to-heads in games, it doesn’t make great reading either. Town have only won twice in the last ten games against Bournemouth and in their last five home games in the league, The Cherries have only lost one, which was a surprising 3-2 defeat to Preston.
The way this article has been written, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a foregone conclusion that Bournemouth will walk away with three points but with football, there’s always hope. So, to find out if that hope is misguided or not, we spoke to Tom Jordan from Bournemouth fan podcast Back Of The Net, to find out what he makes of Huddersfield’s chances at the weekend.
AFC Bournemouth manager Jason Tindall has led The Cherries to second in the league and are the top scorers in the Championship with 29 goals. Photo source: AFC Bournemouth
What have you made of your season so far?
Very happy. Relegation followed by the loss of manager Eddie Howe and key players like Callum Wilson, Nathan Ake and Aaron Ramsdale, so to be where we are I would have definitely taken this for sure!
What are your general expectations for the rest of the season now that we’re well underway?
The expectations are definitely promotion. We’ve lost a few but in the main, our squad is filled with quality to get out of this division.
What have you made of Jason Tindall’s start as Bournemouth manager? Has he proven he can replace Eddie Howe?
I’m delighted with Jason Tindall’s start. It’s probably not fair to compare him with Eddie Howe too much, but he’s brought fresh ideas and it’s a good start, but it’s just a start!
Bournemouth midfielder David Brooks has been named the Sky Bet Championship Player of the Month for November. Photo source: AFC Bournemouth
Which player from your current squad do you think will be one to watch this season?
Lewis Cook is probably our main man in terms of controlling games. David Brooks on his day is outstanding though and Arnaut Danjuma has been particularly impressive although currently injured which is lucky for you!
The team brought in a couple of players over the transfer window, have you been impressed with the business, and have any of your new signings made a difference so far or you think will do well?
We only made two loan signings, which were Rodrigo Riquelme, a winger from Atletico Madrid and Cameron Carter-Vickers who joined from Spurs. Riquelme has been a good impact sub, raw talent but did score a crucial late goal for us. Carter-Vickers has yet to play as he was injured in training. I am happy though and didn’t need much due to keeping the likes of Begovic, Brooks, Cook, Lerma etc.
What are you expecting from the game against Huddersfield?
I’d expect a win on Saturday being at home (with a few fans there too) having said that I’d never underestimate anyone in this league! We’ve lost two games this season to Sheffield Wednesday and Preston, which you might not have expected at the start but that’s the Championship for you.
Arnaut Danjuma has been particularly impressive for The Cherries, according to Tom Jordan from Back of the Net. Photo source: AFC Bournemouth
What are Bournemouth’s weaknesses, is there anything Huddersfield can take advantage of?
I’d say the best way to play against us would be to press high as we like to play from the back. Put our defenders under pressure and don’t allow us time to play because we have the players to pick you off.
What are your expectations for Huddersfield Town this season?
I’m probably expecting Huddersfield to finish where they are really, around mid-table. A potential playoff push wouldn’t surprise me though.
What’s your score prediction for the game?
I’m going to go 2-1 to us, I think we should have enough.
How do you think Huddersfield will get on against Bournemouth? Let us know in the comments!
Our Predictions:
Brady: 3-2 win for Bournemouth.
Kosi: 1-1.
Matt: 3-0 win for Bournemouth.
Neil: 3-0 win for Bournemouth.
Pozza: 3-0 win for Bournemouth.
Si: 2-0 win for Bournemouth.
Scoring system: A correct score wins three points, a correct result wins a point.
