FA Cup.
Bournemouth vs Leicester City Sporting new season
Bournemouth's form has certainly slipped since February, but that has to do with the quality of their opponents. In the last round of the league, they carefully deployed their defenses and successfully contained Manchester City's attack, and finally lost by only one goal. With Everton's points deducted, Bournemouth's road to relegation has theoretically become more difficult. However, they are still eight points clear of the relegation zone, which is relatively solid.
In this round of the FA Cup, Bournemouth will host the Championship leaders. Since the opponent has no intention of fighting, this undoubtedly creates favorable conditions for Bournemouth. Coach Ilora has a wealth of experience in the cup game, having led little-known Mirandés and Rayo Vallecano to the last four of the Copa del Rey. In the last round of the FA Cup, he led the team to a 5-0 home win over Swansea City in the face of underdogs, showing the team's strong cup DNA.
Billing, who has been suspended for three games, will return to action in this league game, and Solanke, England's best striker, will continue to play for the team. In terms of the lineup, apart from the backline, the absence of players in other positions has little impact. Therefore, the overall strength has not been weakened too much.
After relegation from the Championship, Leicester City have shown a good level of dominance, and although they have suffered two consecutive defeats, they are still six points clear of the top of the league table. Despite this, the team has struggled a bit lately, with the lead built up in the first half fading into the second half and the chances of promotion becoming strained. Last week's away game at Leeds United was a staggering three-goal comeback in the final 10 minutes. Leicester's starting line-up for today's game could be changed, with Jamie Vardy and Ndidi out through injury and doubts about the availability of other key players. Given that a number of young players have been given a chance to start in previous FA Cup games, they may have a chance to play today.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Maresca made it clear that the team's main goal this season remains promotion to the Premier League. Away to Bournemouth, who have been the underdogs and superior in the historical head-to-head today, Leicester City are not determined to win. In addition, the team is used to playing a tailwind in the Championship and may feel uncomfortable facing Bournemouth's counter-attacking tactics. Overall, the outlook for Leicester City today is not optimistic.
Match analysis: In this intense game, Bournemouth showed a clear advantage from the start. Leicester City, on the other hand, had a stormy night, with two more injured players added to the midfield centre's sideline Ndidi's absence due to injury. Attacker McAtier was injured in the last round of the league and it is unknown whether he will be able to play today. What's even more worrying is that Vardy, the team's captain and top scorer, will also be exempt today. As such, the suspense of this game seems to have been revealed, and for Leicester, the Championship giants, despite their excellent image, I am firmly favoured on Bournemouth to shine at home and win.