After an opening day defeat to West Brom, Bournemouth will be looking to bounce back at home against Watford on Saturday. Bournemouth look set to finish in the top half of the Premier League this season and will want to kick start their campaign as soon as possible. Their home game against Watford, who look set to struggle defensively against this season, gives them a great opportunity to do so.
Watford picked up a point in their opening game with Liverpool, but will have to defend better here and going forward , they allowed Liverpool far too many opportunities in that game.
Bournemouth Form
The opening day loss to West Brom wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t a bad start from Bournemouth, West Brom is always a tricky place to play. They will be looking to get their season underway in this game, a game they have a great chance of winning.
I am expecting to see Bournemouth fight it out to finish in the top half of the table this season. Breaking into the top seven will be tough, especially after Everton have spent so much money, but 8th is a possibility.
They have strengthened over the summer and striker Jermain Defoe is going to be a key player for them this season. He only came on as a sub on the opening day but I expect we will see him start here and he knows how to score goals in the Premier League.
Watford Form
Watford will be thrilled that they scored three goals on the opening day, but very disappointed that they also conceded three. That game was a thriller against Liverpool, although I don’t expect to see the same fireworks in this game.
I am expecting to see Watford finish somewhere in the bottom half of the table this season, with mid-table being a successful season for them. They have strengthened a little in the summer, but not too much and will likely still find life tough in the Premier League.
Defensively they have to shore things up, but new boss Marco Silva will have been impressed by the way his side fought back to earn a point in the game. They took their chances, capitalised on the defensive mistakes made by Liverpool and played pretty well in the games overall.
Team News
I am expecting Bournemouth to hand a start to Jermain Defoe in this game. In front of his new home fans, I expect to see him shine and after scoring plenty of goals in a struggling Sunderland side, there is no reason to think he won’t be able to do the same in this very good Bournemouth team. With many creative midfielders behind him and potentially the strong hold up play of Benik Afobe alongside him, Defoe looks to have landed in a great spot.
Watford will be looking to continue their attacking form from last weekend, but shore up defensively. Both Stefano Okaka and Abdoulaye Doucoure showing up well last weekend, Marco Silva will be hoping they can lead him team once again going forward. Younes Kaboul has a lot of Premier League experience under his belt and he will be tasked with pulling the Watford defence together. They need to be stronger if Watford are to have a good season this year.
Top Betting Tips
I like Bournemouth and I think they will win this game, although the regular betting market does not offer much value on this game. Therefore I am going to pick a couple of different bets out which in my opinion offer value.
The first bet I am going to pick out is Jermain Defoe to score the first goal in the game. Defoe has found himself a great landing spot at Bournemouth, they are going to play to his strengths and he looks set for a great scoring season. Defoe to score the first goal is 5/4 with SkyBet and Paddy Power, offering value and I am sure that he will start this game.
The second bet I am going to pick out is Bournemouth to win the game 3-1, this is priced up at a huge 16/1 with Ladbrokes. This is a huge price when you consider that Bournemouth are full of flair and creativity, with a very good striker playing in attack for them to finish off the chances. I think Watford will score, but just like last weekend they are going to struggle to keep the goals out against them.