Goals are pretty much guaranteed when Tottenham take to the pitch at home. Ange Postecoglu’s side have seen 52 goals across their 14 home assignments in the Premier League this season (3.71 per game) with the Lilywhites only managing to win five of these games, indicating that killing off games remains an issue for Tottenham. Bournemouth have only kept one clean sheet in their last five games across all competitions with over 2.5 goals landing in two of these assignments. This game is likely to be end to end with Bournemouth pressing high up the pitch in their usual man for man style whilst Tottenham press ahead with their front footed approach that shows no signs of changing any time soon. The initial meeting between the sides ended 1-0 to Bournemouth, however the xG generated from that game suggests that the Cherries should have added a few more goals to their tally. Bournemouth generated an xG of 3.71 in the game at the Vitality Stadium as a result of seven big chances and eight shots on target. This was all achieved with just 34% of the ball which shows how effective and dangerous Bournemouth can be with their high energy approach, something which should unsettle a Spurs side that has only kept one clean sheet in their last five games across all competitions.

Justin Kluivert has been excellent for Bournemouth this season as demonstrated by his 17 goal contributions for the Cherries in the Premier League, more than any other player in Andoni Iraola’s squad. Kluivert is averaging 1.36 shots on target per 90 in the Premier League which is an average he lived up to in the initial meeting between these sides at the Vitality Stadium in which he had a shot on target. Tottenham have conceded 5+ shots on target in each of their last five games across all competitions which is a record that shows that this Tottenham side will always give the opposition chances, they conceded eight shots on target in the initial meeting between the sides. Kluivert is also on penalties for Bournemouth which could end up acting as a viable route to the target considering that Bournemouth have been awarded the joint most spot kicks in the Premier League this season alongside Liverpool (7).

Destiny Udogie’s return to the Tottenham backline comes at a crucial time in the season for the Lilywhites with Spurs at risk of going out of the Europa League which represents their final opportunity of winning silverware this season. Udogie is quite forward thinking, just like Pedro Porro who occupies the opposite fullback position in this Tottenham side. Udogie has won 33 fouls across his 20 appearances in the Premier League this season (1.89 per 90) and faces up against one of the most intense pressing in the division. Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth side are averaging 13.7 fouls committed per game in the Premier League this campaign, more than any other side in the Premier League. Udogie’s direct opponent is likely to be Antoine Semenyo, the young fullback is likely to be one of Bournemouth’s targets when they squeeze up the pitch with the aim to get shots off as quickly as possible when they win the ball back. Semenyo has committed 52 fouls across his 26 Premier League games this season (2.04 per 90), suggesting that he will be a constant nuisance for Udogie.

Tottenham have fallen short in a lot of departments this season but have managed to stay pretty consistent when it comes to corners. Tottenham have won more corners than any other side in the Premier League this season (202 - 7.48 per game) which is 34 more than their opponents here. The initial meeting between the sides saw Bournemouth dominate the game in relation to chances and shots but Tottenham had the majority of the ball and still managed to win the corner battle (9-5) despite being on the backfoot for the majority of the game. This further supports the suggestion that Tottenham are pretty reliable when it comes to winning corners, even if their overall performance is below the level required to get something from the game. Tottenham are averaging 8.29 corners per game at home in the Premier League this season which is more than any other side on home ground this campaign. They’re conceding 5.64 corners per game which is still quite high but judging off the volume of corners the Lilywhites manage to rack up themselves, they should still be able to eclipse any opportunities they give their opponents in the defensive third.

Tottenham have scored 28 goals across their 14 home games in the Premier League this season (2.0 per game). This record reflects the fact that Tottenham don’t have many issues in finding the back of the net, it is in keeping the opposition out where they’ve faced complications this campaign. James Maddison has been Tottenham’s top performing player in the Premier League this season when it comes to output, he’s registered 14 goal contributions across his 25 appearances in the English top flight which is a record that becomes even more impressive when considering that only 17 of these games have been from the start. Maddison comes into this game with momentum having registered four goal contributions in his last five appearances across all competitions. Tottenham can regularly be backed to find the back of the net given the array of attacking talent at Ange Postecoglu’s disposal with Maddison the most likely player statistically to provide or score a goal here for the Lilywhites.

Bournemouth’s aggressive approach off the ball naturally sees them collect cautions at a steady rate. The Cherries have been shown 68 yellow cards across their 27 Premier League games this season (2.51 per game) - only Chelsea and Southampton have collected more cautions than Andoni Iraola’s side this season. Lewis Cook has been shown six yellow cards across his 26 Premier League appearances this season and has recently been lining up as a right back for Bournemouth due to injuries which should increase his chances of picking up a caution but even if he lines up in the midfield for Bournemouth, his foul numbers are promising enough to suggest he could be shown a card here. Cook has committed 43 fouls across his 26 Premier League appearances this season (1.75 per 90) which reflects Bournemouth’s overall strategy in their Premier League games this season. Bournemouth committed 15 fouls and received two yellow cards in the initial meeting between the sides, Cook was on the bench but is in line to start here.

The return of Vicario in the Tottenham net will slightly ease the issues the Lilywhites have been having at the back this season. Kinsky was brought in following Vicario’s injury in December but the young goalkeeper looked out of his depth in certain games, despite making some good saves. Vicario is likely to be busy here when looking at Spurs’ recent defensive issues. Tottenham have conceded 5+ shots on target in each of their last five games across all competitions, also only managing to keep a clean sheet in one of these games. This is an issue that Tottenham have been facing all season and shows little sign of slowing down with Archie Gray still expected to line up as a makeshift centre back. Bournemouth drew seven saves from Fraser Forster in the Tottenham net in the initial meeting between the sides, Vicario has been forced into making 43 saves across his 15 Premier League appearances this season (2.87), an average which should rise slightly up against a Bournemouth side that is averaging 5.7 shots on target per game in the Premier League - only Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool boast a better record in this metric.

Bournemouth’s high fouls rate this season (13.7 committed per game) is a direct result of their energetic playstyle which focuses on an intense press in the opposition half. Most sides see their foul count rise as a result of desperation or frustration but with the Cherries, it is directly linked to how they play. Bournemouth don’t mind being without the ball, they only had 34% possession in the initial meeting between the sides but managed to do a lot with it, generating seven big chances and having eight shots on target. They committed 15 fouls in the game, as their gameplan doesn’t necessarily require high possession numbers, we can expect them to be tasked with the majority of the defensive load here.