Bournemouth vs Everton: Match Preview | New year, new Blue (s)?

Everton begin 2025 with a long trip to the south coast to face Bournemouth with the fans increasingly twitchy about the club’s plight at the foot of the table.

The limp defeat against an admittedly in-foRm Nottingham Forest, combined with an upturn in form from the likes of Wolves and Ipswich, has seen the Toffees drop to 16th and within two points of the relegation zone.

That has inevitably turned up the heat on Sean Dyche, whose prosaic style has been endured on the proviso it kept the Toffees away from danger.

But with positive results few and far between it is little surprise that an increasing section of the fanbase is getting restless.

With new owners in place and the transfer window open there have been calls for a change, though numerous briefings in the media suggest Dyche’s job is safe for now, with the Friedkins wanting to take their time and avoid any impulsive decisions.

The increasing tension would be eased if the team could somehow string together a few wins, but that is something that has proved beyond them so far. The tough run of games also does not let up, with Aston Villa, Spurs and Brighton to follow in the league over the next few weeks.

Things could well get worse before they get better, providing TFG with an early test of their leadership.

The opposition

Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images

In this most unpredictable of seasons Bournemouth are among a clutch of clubs, including Nottingham Forest and Fulham, who are upsetting the established order at the top of the table.

Unlike Everton the Cherries have shown what can be achieved with savvy recruitment in the transfer market and in the dugout, overcoming the loss of Dominic Solanke and sticking with manager Andoni Iraola after a difficult start to his tenure last season (including a 3-0 defeat to Everton).

The south coast club are seventh and just two points behind Newcastle in fifth, placing them well in the hunt for a European place.

They head into the game on a run of four wins and three draws from their previous seven matches and boast a fine record at home to Everton, who have yet to win at the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League.

Previous meeting

Everton 2-3 Bournemouth, 31 August 2024

Photo by George Wood/Getty Images

Everton suffered an improbable and devastating defeat when the sides last met in August. The Toffees were coasting to a 2-0 win – and should have scored more – before conceding in the 87^th, 92^nd and 96^th minute. It is a match that will long in the memory for all the wrong reasons.

Team news

Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Everton have no fresh injury concerns, with Dwight McNeil unlikely to return as he recovers from a knee problem.

Seamus Coleman is also out with a calf injury suffered in the draw at Manchester City. James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam are longer-term absentees.

What they said

Everton boss Sean Dyche: “We’ve had a good run of not losing games – in terms of the overall numbers – but turning them into wins is massive. Against Forest, it was another reminder – if you’re not on every detail, you get hurt. We’ve got to make sure we’re ready to go and work hard.

“Their manager has done a good job because he’s managed to change their style. I respect that. They’ve got much more straight forward in their football. They’ve got players with quality, players with energy and they’re forming a unit, which has been successful so far this season.”

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola: “I think they are a dangerous team, not because of that game [the previous meeting in August], that also adds a little bit more, but because they’ve played this month against City, Arsenal, Chelsea, they haven’t lost. I think they have seven clean sheets. You see the goals they conceded the last 13, 14 games and is less than one goal a game.

“That is in a Premier League is very, very difficult to achieve. So we know it’s going to be difficult. We will have to be clinical because they don’t normally give you a lot of chances.

“So every game we’ve played against them has been very fouled, we haven’t been really comfortable, even if we’ve, I think, won the last two. But we have to be ready to win the duels, to be tactically very disciplined.”

Final word

Everton’s patchy form and woeful record at Bournemouth mean expectations are low. But if they follow the template set during the run of draws against Arsenal, Chelsea and City then a battling draw is certainly possible, with every point precious given the Toffees’ predicament.