Bournemouth vs Cardiff Preview: Classic Encounter, Key Battle, Team News & More

Bournemouth host newly promoted Cardiff City on Saturday at the Vitality Stadium. Both sides will be hoping for all three points to build an early momentum for
Bournemouth vs Cardiff Preview: Classic Encounter, Key Battle, Team News & More
Bournemouth vs Cardiff Preview: Classic Encounter, Key Battle, Team News & More /

Bournemouth host newly promoted Cardiff City on Saturday at the Vitality Stadium. Both sides will be hoping for all three points to build an early momentum for the 2018/19 Premier League season.

Cardiff return to the Premier League for the first time in four years - manager Neil Warnock has now won eight promotions in his career. Promotion to the Premier League is one thing though. It's staying up that matters now for Cardiff.

For Bournemouth, each coming season in the Premier League is an opportunity to further establish themselves as deserving of top flight football. The the past two seasons, a ninth place finish followed by 12th, is evidence of Eddie Howe's exceptional work down on the south coast. 

Classic Encounter

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Joel Ford/GettyImages

Never before have Bournemouth and Cardiff clashed in the Premier League, but outside of the Premier League there have been some notable games played between the two sides.

The most recent match between Bournemouth and Cardiff came in the 2014/15 Championship season. The match ended 1-1 after goals from Harry Arter, who has just moved from Bournemouth to Cardiff on loan, and Ecuele Manga. Bournemouth won the Championship that season by one point.

Earlier that same 2014/15 season, Bournemouth beat Cardiff 5-3. Matt Richie scored first for Bournemouth, after just 39 seconds. Harry Arter's cool finish from outside the box gave the Cherries a two-goal lead, and although Cardiff kept trying to come back, Callum Wilson's rounding of the keeper before scoring his side's fifth signalled the end of Cardiff's hopes. 

Key Battle


Ryan Fraser vs Lee Peltier

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Aitor Alcalde/GettyImages

Bournemouth ended pre-season with a 5-2 win against Marseille, in which Ryan Fraser made two assists and scored Bournemouth's fourth goal of the game. 

Fraser's cross from the left wing found Adam Smith, who volleyed in his side's opener - the goal came after just 13 seconds. Fraser then made another assist after his accurate cross found Josh King, whose finish followed on from his well-timed run into the box. 

Lee Peltier was Cardiff's first-choice right-back last season. Should he start on Saturday, he faces the tiring task of defending his flank from Fraser's energetic runs. Peltier will also need to stop Fraser's crosses from coming into the box with the likes of King and Wilson trying to find space in the box. 

Team News

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Dan Mullan/GettyImages

Neil Warnock has a fully fit side squad to choose from when selecting Cardiff's lineup for Saturday but Harry Arter will play no part, as Bournemouth's terms set in the loan deal state he is ineligible to play this game. Victor Camarasa, another loan signing, could be make his debut for Cardiff.  

Josh Murphy, Cardiff's new signing from Norwich City, is likely to make his official club debut on Saturday. 

Eddie Howe's Bournemouth side go into the season nursing injuries. Junior Stanislas' knee knock rules him out for Saturday, as does Kyle Taylor's muscle problem. Nathan Ake looks to have walked off a toe injury from Bournemouth's win against Marseille and is set to play. 

Bournemouth are likely to be without record signing Jefferson Lerma as he regains match fitness following his World Cup involvement for Columbia. Eddie Howe was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying: "If [Lerma's] not fit enough it would be foolish to play him." 

Diego Rico, Bournemouth's new left-back, is also unable to play through suspension. 

Potential Bournemouth Starting Lineup: Begovic, Smith, Ake, Cook, Daniels, Cook, Surman, Ibe, Fraser, King, Wilson. 


Potential Cardiff Starting Lineup: Etheridge, Peltier, Morrison, Bamba, Bennett, Ralls, Paterson, Reid, Hoilett, Murphy, Zohore.

Prediction

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Charlie Crowhurst/GettyImages

Cardiff City will be desperate to put points on the board early in a season that could pull them into a relegation battle. The Welsh side have lost only one of their last ten opening matches to a league season - that loss was against West Ham in the 2013/14 Premier League season. 

Bournemouth's record for opening matches in the Premier League breeds no confidence, failing to win any of their three opening Premier League fixtures. But the Cherries have looked lively in pre-season though, so fans can be hopeful of seeing a winning start to the season.  

Prediction: Bournemouth 2-1 Cardiff


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