Stoke City vs Bournemouth
Saturday 19th November 2016
bet365 Stadium
Kick Off 3.00pm
PREMIER LEAGUE football resumes once again following the final international break of the year and some may say that this is where the real nitty gritty action gets underway.
Mark Hughes secured his best run without defeat as Stoke City manager away at West Ham United two weeks ago and will be looking to extend that further still when Bournemouth arrive at the bet365 Stadium this weekend.
Whilst Eddie Howe’s outfit are only a point and a place below the Potters in the table, the form guide tells a different story with the Cherries having won just one of their last five matches and losing both of their last two.
A 2-1 defeat at home to David Moyes’ struggling Sunderland was a huge disappointment for them last time out considering the amount of chances they created and it was further proof of what a ruthless league this can be if chances aren’t converted.
They’ll be hoping that their fortunes can change this time out ahead of upcoming games with Arsenal and Liverpool – though they won’t have history on their side as they’ve failed to pick up even a point on any of their last seven visits to ST4.
An eighth Stoke win against them on the trot really would be the cherry on top of the cake!
LAST VISIT
Stoke City 2 (Walters 32, Diouf 83)
Bournemouth 1 (Gosling 76)
A late goal from substitute Mame Diouf earned the Potters a first win of the campaign in the corresponding meeting between the two clubs last September.
Diouf’s back post header from a Glen Johnson cross put City in front for the second time of the afternoon after Dan Gosling had cancelled out Jonathan Walters’ first half opener.
Victory ended a seven-match Premier League winless streak for Mark Hughes’ side, the longest such run since 1973/74.
Stoke City: Butland; Johnson, Cameron, Wollscheid, Pieters; Whelan (c), Adam (van Ginkel 75); Shaqiri (Afellay 45+9), Bojan (Diouf 62), Arnautovic; Walters. Unused: Given, Muniesa, Joselu, Crouch.
MEMORABLE MATCH
Stoke City 1 (Thorne 81)
Bournemouth 0
A late Peter Thorne winner in front of a bumper 15,022 crowd strengthened Gudjon Thordarson’s side hopes of reaching the Second Division play-offs at the first time of asking.
Thorne’s diving header proved to be one of 19 goals in a 16-game hot streak for the popular striker as he went on to notch 30 by the end of the campaign, including the winner in the previous week’s Auto Windscreens Shield Final triumph over Bristol City at Wembley.
Stoke did make it into the play-offs the following month but lost out in controversial fashion to Gillingham, whilst the Cherries – who included a certain Eddie Howe in their line-up – secured a comfortable mid-table finish.
Stoke City: Ward; Hansson, Mohan, Gunnarsson, Clarke; Gudjonsson, O’Connor, Kavanagh, Gunnlaugsson; Lightbourne (Connor 78), Thorne. Unused: Muggleton, Jacobsen, Melton.
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Source: stokecity.com