Leeds United head to the south coast to take on AFC Bournemouth in this weekend’s Premier League encounter.
The Whites go into the clash in Dorset having drawn the previous two matches in the top-flight, beginning with a 1-1 result against rivals Manchester United at Elland Road.
After falling behind in the first half, Dominic Calvert-Lewin showed his predatory instincts to lash home a leveller in West Yorkshire.
That effort was the England international’s fourth of an impressive league campaign so far, averaging a goal every other game after eight fixtures to date.
Then, Daniel Farke’s side travelled to Wearside to face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. The effects of Storm Boelo were there for all to see as neither side were at their best and it ended a stalemate.
The clean sheet now means United have shipped just six goals in eight, with only reigning champions Arsenal conceding fewer. A huge factor in that has been Three Lions keeper James Trafford.
The 24-year-old produced a magnificent one-on-one stop to deny Brian Brobbey early on against the Black Cats, continuing his superb form that has seen Trafford make the second-most saves in the Premier League this season and record the highest save percentage (82.4 per cent).
Leeds sit seventh in the standings, two points above 13th-place Bournemouth though the Cherries come into the encounter high in confidence after winning their previous five in all competitions by an aggregate score of 14-0.
Two of those victories came in the UEFA Europa League – 3-0 demolitions of Sturm Graz and AC Milan on home soil – as well as successes against Sunderland and Manchester United in the league and Aston Villa in the EFL Cup.
Last term’s trip to the south coast proved to be a memorable one as a last-gasp Sean Longstaff volley secured a point for the Whites deep into added time.
Action from the Vitality Stadium gets underway at 3pm.
Team News:
In his pre-match press conference, the boss explained Nico Elvedi has made a full recovery from the illness that saw him miss out last weekend. Anton Stach is the only question mark, still recovering from a slight knock, alongside mid-term absentee Joe Rodon.
The view from inside the camp:
Speaking exclusively to Premier League Studios, Ao Tanaka said: “This is a massive challenge. Bournemouth is such a good team, especially recently, the results have been so good. They have quality players, quality tactics. So, I am looking forward to playing against them.” Read more here.
Supporter information:
Engineering works will affect train services around Brockenhurst on Saturday 31 October. Trains from London Waterloo to Weymouth and Southampton Central to Bournemouth will terminate at Brockenhurst. Replacement buses will run between Southampton Airport Parkway and Bournemouth, and Brockenhurst and Bournemouth. CrossCountry services will also be affected. Check with your train operator before travelling. Pokesdown for Boscombe station is a 15-minute walk from the ground, while Bournemouth station is around 30 minutes away. More can be found here.
Discriminatory language or chanting, including tragedy chanting, is not acceptable, and you could be breaking the law. The club condemns this behaviour and has a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination abuse of all kinds.
Tough measures and sanctions are in place across all English football leagues to tackle dangerous and illegal behaviours within football grounds, and this involves but is not limited to, discriminatory behaviour, tragedy chanting, fans entering the pitch, the use of pyros and throwing objects.
How to follow:
Monthly audio subscribers around the world can listen to every minute of Saturday’s fixture LIVE on LUTV. Bryn Law will be joined by Tony Dorigo on commentary. Pre-match build up begins at 2:30pm with Dom Matteo and Stuart Dallas in the studio!
What has the boss said:
The latest advice from FPL Scout:
Tarik Muharemović (£5.1m) is becoming a real force in FPL. Over the course of the season so far, he has returned in every single game, with the exception of Gameweek 6. It is the kind of consistency that FPL managers love to have in their teams and will surely lead to an increase on his current 5.6 per cent ownership across the game.
What makes the Bosnian international such an exciting prospect in FPL is the many areas in which he collects points. The centre-half has two assists in eight league games, which is the joint-most in the Leeds squad this season, while his six headed goal attempts from set plays is a team high, and suggests he could find himself on the scoresheet in the near future. Read more here.
League position:
Bournemouth: 13th
Leeds: 7th
Top scorer in all comps:
Bournemouth: Marcus Tavernier (6)
Leeds: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (5)
Officials:
Referee: Michael Salisbury
Assistant referees: Adrian Holmes & Conor Brown
Fourth Official: Tom Reeves
Video Assistant Referee: Nick Hopton
Additional Video Assistant Referee: Alex Chilowicz
