🔊 Which team from the second round of the English Premier League will bounce back from their opening defeat – Bournemouth or Wolverhampton? Both sides conceded four goals, but displayed entirely different levels of resistance against the Premier League's top teams. While the Wolves suffered a lackluster defeat to Manchester City, Andoni Iraola's squad deserves praise for putting up a fight against the reigning English champions. What lessons will the players learn from their disappointing start? We'll assess the odds for both teams in our prediction.

Head-to-Head

📊 In their last 10 encounters, the teams have faced off 9 times in the Premier League and once in the FA Cup. Bournemouth claimed victory in their March FA Cup Round of 16 clash, drawing 1-1 in regular time before winning 5-4 on penalties. In the league, Wolverhampton hold the upper hand with 4 wins compared to the Cherries' 3, while they have drawn twice.

Bournemouth Team Overview

🔴 Bournemouth kicked off their Premier League campaign with an away fixture in Liverpool, where they quickly dispelled any notions of flirting with the relegation zone due to defensive losses. It's hard to deny the impact these had on their defensive lapses, as conceding four goals speaks volumes. However, despite trailing 2-0, the Cherries mounted an impressive comeback, leveling the score by the 76th minute. Unfortunately for Andoni Iraola's side, they couldn't maintain parity, as the Reds sealed the win with two late goals in the 88th and 90+4th minutes.

⚫ Despite the defeat, the visitors didn't look like pushovers. While they conceded territorial advantage (39% to 61% possession), Bournemouth's attack was remarkably efficient, converting three shots on target into two goals with an xG of 1.6. A special mention goes to the form of Bournemouth's attacking midfield trio—David Brooks, Marcus Tavernier, and Antoine Semenyo. Their constant interplay and positional changes were instrumental in both of Semenyo's goals.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Team Overview

🟠 Every match of the Premier League's opening round began with a poignant moment—a minute's silence to honor the memory of Diogo Jota and André Silva, who tragically lost their lives in a car accident. For the fans at Molineux, this tribute held special significance, akin to what Liverpool supporters felt—Diogo spent three seasons at Wolverhampton. A large banner with the player's image and the words "We will remember you as you walk through golden fields" was displayed by the Wolves faithful.

⚫ The rest of the match was dominated by Manchester City players, who evenly distributed their four goals across both halves. The only area where the "Wanderers" came close to the "Citizens" was in possession—41% to 59%. However, Vítor Pereira's side failed to capitalize on their time with the ball, managing only 0.46 xG from 9 attempts towards goal, with just 3 on target.

Latest news

Bournemouth

📝 Adding depth to their attack, Bournemouth have signed Ben Doak from Liverpool. Last season, he was on loan at Middlesbrough in the Championship, where he contributed to 10 goals (3 goals and 7 assists). Another transfer on the horizon is Bayer Leverkusen's winger Amine Adli, with reports suggesting a fee of €29 million for the Moroccan.

🎙 Bournemouth's performance earned them compliments even from Liverpool's head coach: "We started the second half very well, leading 2-0, but we faced a team that never gives up. Credit to them," praised Arne Slot of the visiting team's players.

❌ Still sidelined are Enes Ünal, who has been injured since last season, along with Lewis Cook and Luis Sinisterra, who were ruled out during preseason. Encouraging news comes from Ryan Christie: he has resumed training this week, but will not feature in Friday's game.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

📝 Wolverhampton have yet to figure out how to operate without last season's attacking leader Matheus Cunha, but they aren't rushing to find a replacement for his position. Instead, the Wolves continue to bolster their defensive line—just recently announcing the signing of the dynamic defender from Verona, Jackson Tchatchoua. Known as the fastest player in Serie A, clocking a speed of 36.3 km/h, Tchatchoua is expected to make a significant impact both in defense and attack from his wing-back position.

🎙 Despite a heavy defeat, Vitor Pereira stood by his players post-match: “In the end, that's football. I'm proud of my team. As I said, you can lose a game, but you don't lose your team, your identity, spirit, ambition, or commitment. We showed all of that today; it just didn't reflect in the result,” the head coach praised his team for their dedication.

❌ Three reserve players remain out of the Wolves' squad and are unlikely to influence the lineup for the upcoming match. One of them is Fabio Silva, who has been out on loan for two years—most recently spending a season at Las Palmas where he scored 10 goals. However, due to a knee injury sustained in La Liga and ongoing transfer rumors, Wolverhampton are not counting on him.

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

The match will be officiated by English referee Thomas Bramall. He has overseen 30 Premier League games, averaging 4.1 yellow cards per match. However, in the latter half of last season, he was less stringent, issuing an average of 3.5 yellow cards over his last 10 matches.

Head-to-head clashes between these clubs are known for their intensity, with only one of the last seven Premier League encounters featuring fewer than 3.5 total cards. It's worth noting that even at home, Bournemouth have consistently picked up more than 1.5 yellow cards over the same period. Therefore, it’s reasonable to predict that this trend will continue, and we suggest backing Bournemouth to have over 1.5 individual yellow cards.

⚽️ Goal Prediction

The teams have nearly identical average goals per match: 2.9 for Wolverhampton to 2.8 for Bournemouth. However, there is a noticeable skew in Bournemouth’s scoring pattern in the second halves of their games, with an average of 1.9 goals compared to 0.9 in the first half. The Cherries often score these goals themselves, as demonstrated in their match against Liverpool where they netted twice after the break. We anticipate a similar outcome at the Vitality Stadium, so we predict that Bournemouth will score in the second half.

🚩 Corner Prediction

In the opening round, both clubs faced Premier League giants but held their own in terms of corners (Wolverhampton had 4 against Man City’s 5), and Bournemouth even outperformed Liverpool (7:6). As seen, these upcoming opponents frequently rely on set pieces from the corner flag, so let’s look at their head-to-head stats. In six of their last seven meetings, there have been fewer than 12.5 corners. We expect this pattern to persist and suggest betting on over 10.5 total corners.

Bookmakers are leaning towards the hosts for this one. Bournemouth have navigated the Premier League title contenders' tests better, and despite some defensive absences, Andoni Iraola's attacking setup is thriving. Wolverhampton, on the other hand, resemble a pack of wolves missing their leader in Matheus Cunha. None of the current players have managed to fill his creative role, and it seems the team's scoring might suffer for a while longer. Nevertheless, Bournemouth represent a suitable level of opposition for the "Wolves" to start honing their attacking skills. However, we anticipate that the "Cherries" will simply outdo the visitors in creating goal-scoring opportunities and tilt the match in their favor (3-1). As the main bet, we suggest considering a Bournemouth victory.