Bournemouth vs Everton Preview: Classic Encounter, Key Battles, Team News & More

The third round of Premier League fixtures will see Everton make the long trip down to the south coast for an intriguing encounter with Bournemouth.

The Cherries come into the match following impressive victories against Cardiff City and West Ham United, and will certainly fancy themselves to earn something at home against Everton.

Meanwhile, Marco Silva's side are also undefeated, but dropped points in their 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening weekend. They are led by new signing Richarlison, who has (so far) silenced the critics by netting three goals in two games and is the league's joint top scorer at this early stage.

Classic Encounter

Bournemouth 3-3 Everton (November 2015)

Bournemouth vs Everton is not a match with much history, with this Saturday's clash being just the tenth competitive meeting between the two. Historically, Bournemouth have the superior record, but this 3-3 draw in 2015 was the standout encounter between the sides.

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Ramiro Funes Mori and Romelu Lukaku both scored to give Everton a 2-0 lead going into half time, and looked set to secure a comfortable victory at Vitality Stadium. However, Bournemouth were not prepared to lie down.

Entering the final ten minutes a stunning strike from Adam Smith made it 2-1 and set up an exciting finish. Junior Stanislas levelled the score with only three minutes remaining, but Ross Barkley looked to have stolen a result for Everton with his 95th minute goal. 

Incredibly that was not the final action of the game, as Stanislas then converted a penalty in the 98thminute to earn a point for his side and top off one of the most thrilling second halves in Premier League history.

Key Battle

Adam Smith vs Richarlison

Everton raised many an eyebrow when they opted to spend upwards of £40m on Watford's Richarlison. The Brazilian had impressed in patches during his debut season in England, but many believed that Marco Silva had paid over the odds to be reunited with the 21-year-old.

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However, after two matches for Everton, it seems as though nobody is doubting the price tag. Richarlison netted twice on his debut in the 2-2 draw with Wolves, before getting on the score sheet once more against Southampton. He operates predominantly on the left wing, meaning it will be the job of Bournemouth's Adam Smith to try put an end to Richarlison's electric form.

Smith will certainly be up for the challenge of stopping the Brazilian, and has regularly been a key figure for Bournemouth at both ends of the field. Richarlison will be heavily involved on Saturday, and the winner of this battle may well find themselves on the winning team.

Team News

Eddie Howe has no fresh concerns about his squad, with new signing Diego Rico the only player to remain unavailable due to suspension. Jefferson Lerma has looked solid in training and was reportedly close to featuring against West Ham, meaning he has a good chance of making his Bournemouth debut this weekend.

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Everton are still waiting on an official diagnosis of the injury which forced Morgan Schneiderlin off the field against Southampton. He may well return to fitness in time for the match, but it remains to be seen whether Marco Silva would be prepared to risk rushing him back into the team, or opt for Tom Davies instead.

Defensively, they have looked fairly shaky, meaning Silva could opt to field new signings Lucas Digne or Kurt Zouma, whilst Yerry Mina faces his own race to recover from an injury before the game.

Predicted Lineups

Bournemouth: Begovic; Smith, Cook, Ake, Daniels; Brooks, Surman, Lerma, Fraser; Wilson, King.

Everton: Pickford; Coleman, Keane, Zouma, Digne; Gueye, Davies; Walcott, Sigurdsson, Richarlison; Tosun.

Prediction

It is hard to separate the two teams on current form. Bournemouth have been very solid at both ends of the field, with Callum Wilson and Josh King both performing incredibly well in attack. Their defenders also dealt well with West Ham's Marko Arnautovic, which may well have prepared them for the threat of Richarlison.

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Everton too have been attacking well, with Richarlison standing out so far. However, they have not looked overly convincing defensively, and Marco Silva will be keen to introduce some of his expensive deadline day acquisitions. Their defensive lineup is uncertain, whilst there remains the matter of cohesion between the original players and the new recruits. 

Both sides will believe they have enough to emerge victorious, but ultimately they may struggle to separate themselves.

Predicted Scoreline: Bournemouth 2-2 Everton