AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth will be hoping to complete a hat-trick of wins when they face Championship rivals Preston North End on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
The Cherries climbed back into the top six after following up their 1-0 victory over Watford by triumphing 2-1 against Bristol City on Wednesday.
Preston, who lowered the Cherries’ colours at Vitality Stadium in December, are currently 14th having experienced a mixed bag of results in 2021.
After beating the Cherries 3-2, Alex Neil’s team won four more games in December and were just five points shy of the play-off places.
But seven defeats in their past 12 games in the Championship has seen them slip off the pace with three wins coming against Birmingham (1-0), Blackburn (2-1) and Huddersfield (3-0).
Ahead of the clash at Deepdale, afcb.co.uk caught up with Andy Bayes who covers the fortunes of North End for BBC Radio Lancashire.
PRESTON NORTH END IN PROFILE
Manager: Alex Neil (appointed July 2017)
Club captain: Alan Browne (pictured above)
Last game: Millwall 2-1 Preston North End (Championship)
Leading league goalscorer 2020/21: Scott Sinclair (nine)
League position: 14th
Past six league results: WLLDWL
afcb.co.uk: What are North End supporters hoping to see their team achieve this season?
AB: North End fans will be hoping the season ends in a positive fashion. It hasn’t been the season they’d been hoping for.
They’ve been brilliant on occasions but lost far more games than they’d have liked.
They hardly ever draw so defeats have been costly, particularly at home where they’ve been beaten nine times.
afcb.co.uk: Preston have finished seventh, 14th and ninth under Alex Neil (pictured above) – what’s a realistic finishing position this season?
AB: If they could finish in the top half with some encouraging performances between now and May – it would be something to build on next season.
They’re currently worse off in terms of points than they have been after 34 games in their previous five seasons since returning to the Championship from League One.
The manager is keen to stress that with eight in and eight out in January, it’s only natural that with such upheaval, results will be inconsistent.
afcb.co.uk: Sixth in the away league table and fourth bottom in the home table – can you pinpoint a reason for this?
AB: I’ve asked the manager that question a few times this year. The answer is no, not really.
The view of Alex Neil in terms of recent home games has been (barring the win over Huddersfield) that they’ve failed to convert the chances that they’ve created and it’s cost them dearly.
You could blame it on the lack of home fans, but it’s the same for everyone.
afcb.co.uk: How big a blow were the departures of Ben Pearson and Ben Davies (pictured above)?
AB: Absolutely huge. Pearson was expected to leave and I’m a huge fan of his. He brings a lot to any team.
He can do the dirty work but is also such a talented footballer, Bournemouth are lucky to have him.
Nobody could begrudge Davies the chance to join Liverpool, it’s a shame he’s not been fit, or when fit, selected as yet. He’s a real talent.
afcb.co.uk: Starting with the 3-2 victory at Vitality Stadium, Preston won five games in December but have only won three since – can you put your finger on what’s been behind the dip?
AB: Probably the amount of change in the squad as much as anything else. But, the whole season in truth hasn’t been consistent.
They won three on the bounce in December and back-to-back wins in October, but other than that they haven’t been able to put a sequence of results together to give them a chance of really challenging the top seven or eight clubs.
afcb.co.uk: Who is Preston’s one to watch?
AB: Ched Evans (pictured above) has made a big impact since signing from Fleetwood, he leads the line really well.
An old fashioned number nine who will make the ball stick in the opposition half.
Anthony Gordon on loan from Everton is an exciting prospect too.
Scott Sinclair is also capable on his day of being right up there with the best players in the league and Alan Browne (if fit) is pivotal to North End performing well. Without him, it’s always more of a struggle.
Special mention too for on-loan goalkeeper Daniel Iversen who has been excellent since joining from Leicester.
afcb.co.uk: Are any first-choice players either injured or suspended against the Cherries?
AB: How long have you got!
Goalkeeper Declan Rudd (pictured below) and Patrick Bauer, who was injured at Bournemouth, are both out for the rest of the season).
Louis Moult has been out for 18 months, Alan Browne, Paul Gallagher, Ryan Ledson, Billy Bodin and Liam Lindsay have all missed games recently.
North End have been a bit stretched in recent games with the options they have.
afcb.co.uk: What’s your score prediction?
AB: Impossible to predict Preston North End this season really. I went 4-0 last weekend and they won 3-0.
This week, I’ll say 2-0 and hope for a 1-0. It’s going to be really tough.
I saw Bournemouth win at Burnley recently. Pearson was brilliant in the game.
With the squad they have, the Cherries will expect to win. North End will be hurting from losing at Millwall late on, so I’ll say 2-0 North End and no doubt be hopelessly wrong!
You can follow Andy on Twitter – @AndyBayes
Officials: Jarred Gillett (referee), Philip Dermott (assistant), Nik Barnard (assistant), Jeremy Simpson (fourth official).
