Bournemouth vs Everton – News and Probable Lineups

Everton aims to achieve a hat-trick of victories across all competitions as they visit the Vitality Stadium to take on Bournemouth in the Premier League this Saturday afternoon.

The two sides had markedly different outcomes on the opening day of the league, with Bournemouth succumbing to a loss against Manchester City, whilst Everton triumphed over Crystal Palace in their fixture.

Match overview

Bournemouth’s remarkable 18-match unbeaten league streak was unfortunately ended on the first day of the new season, as they relinquished a late advantage to fall 2-1 at the hands of Manchester City during Marco Rose’s inaugural match in charge.

Marcus Tavernier’s excellently crafted strike in the first half seemed destined to give the German manager a fairytale debut at the Etihad, but the Citizens turned the tide in the last six minutes, netting twice to claim all three points. Rose later confessed that “in the end maybe it was a question of power” as the relentless pressure from the hosts overwhelmed his backline, which had briefly lost concentration in the closing moments.

Although the nature of the result was disheartening, Rose took away several positives from a contest where his team was not the favorite, and he is eager to “work on details” with his players, aiming to prevent back-to-back Premier League defeats for the first time since November and December 2025.

Bournemouth can take solace from their strong performance history against Everton, winning nine of their last 12 encounters across competitions. The Cherries have also clinched more top-tier victories against the Toffees than any other opponent (nine), while they enjoy a superior winning percentage against Fulham (60%) compared to other clubs they have faced at least 10 times in the league (50%).

However, heading into Saturday’s match, Bournemouth has only managed three victories from their last 14 Premier League matches at the Vitality Stadium (D9 L2) and faced a narrow 1-0 defeat to Everton at home last December, thanks to a late goal from Jack Grealish.

After a disappointing end to the 2025-26 season, where they failed to secure a win in their last seven league games and lost their chance for European qualification, Everton has started on a positive note this season, winning their first two matches without conceding.

The Toffees secured a 2-0 victory at home against a struggling Crystal Palace last weekend, before comfortably defeating David Moyes’s former side Preston North End 4-0 in the EFL Cup on Wednesday. They have been rewarded with a home tie in the third round against Wolves.

Now, the focus shifts back to the Premier League as Everton aims to start a top-flight campaign with consecutive victories for the first time since the 2020-21 season, when they won their opening four matches under former manager Carlo Ancelotti.

The Merseysiders will be keen to enhance their record away from home early in the season, as they have lost their opening away match in each of the last four Premier League campaigns, without scoring in the last three of those. Historically, from 1955-56 to 1961-62, they have never encountered a longer streak of losses in their first away match across consecutive league seasons (seven).

Everton has only achieved victory in one of their nine Premier League visits to the Vitality Stadium (D2 L6), but that lone win did come in the corresponding fixture nine months prior; they have never managed to secure back-to-back wins away against Bournemouth in their history across all competitions.

Team News

Bournemouth will be without four players due to injuries: Eli Junior Kroupi (foot), Amine Adli (calf), Veljko Milosavljevic (knee), and Julian Araujo (thigh), but Ryan Christie returns to the squad after serving a suspension.

The Cherries have recently added goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio on loan from Juventus, although it is expected that Djordje Petrovic will remain as the first-choice goalkeeper for the team.

In-demand midfielder Alex Scott, whom Rose is “120% sure” will stay amid transfer interest, is likely to feature in midfield alongside Lewis Cook, with Rayan, Justin Kluivert, and Tavernier expected to support Evanilson in the attack.

As for Everton, Tim Iroegbunam is unavailable due to an adductor strain, while fellow midfielders and new signings Hayden Hackney (knock) and Christian Norgaard (unspecified injury) will be evaluated prior to kickoff.

James Garner made his first start for the Toffees midweek after a hernia operation over the summer and may be set to start again on Saturday, with Merlin Rohl and Harrison Armstrong also available as central options for Moyes.

One possibility includes Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall continuing in the number 10 role; he is currently the leading goalscorer for Everton in the Premier League since the last season with nine goals.

Thierno Barry has commenced the season with remarkable form, netting four goals in just two games, including a hat-trick against Preston, indicating he is likely to spearhead the attack again, possibly supported by Iliman Ndiaye, despite recent transfer speculation regarding his situation.

Bournemouth probable starting XI:

Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Silva, Truffert; Cook, Scott; Rayan, Kluivert, Tavernier; Evalinson

Everton probable starting XI:

Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Garner, Hackney; George, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye; Barry

With a formidable recent record against Everton, Bournemouth can anticipate an energizing and encouraging reception from the supporters at the Vitality Stadium as new head coach Rose leads his squad out for their inaugural home fixture of the season.

Nonetheless, the visiting Merseysiders come to town buoyed by a positive start to the week, and while both managers will thoroughly believe their teams can secure the maximum points, a closely fought contest resulting in a draw appears to be the most likely outcome.