Key events
Tyler Dibling It's Southampton's worst kept secret. The 18-year-old winger looks a bit special, and not just because he wears lower socks than Jack Grealish. Dibling scored his goal very well in the 1-1 draw against Ipswich after a good pass from Adam Lallana, and also scored a penalty in the defeat against Manchester United. I'm very excited to see him tonight.
And if we talk about Manchester Unitedthis is worth reading:
Graham Potterformer Brighton and Chelsea manager and Sky Sports guest pundit tonight on MNF, has just done a very poor job of distancing himself from the permanent England vacancy, with Lee Carsley only in caretaker charge at the moment.
He is also asked if he has held talks with Manchester United.
I would take everything in the media with a pinch of salt. I seem to be the only manager linked with Stoke City and Napoli in the same week. I have had many conversations with many people. I think it's best if I keep those conversations private.
Southampton have just one point from their first five gamesdespite averaging 60% possession in those games. What's encouraging for Saints fans is that there are only two teams in first division history that has gone down in history with more than 50% average possession: Wigan 2012-13 with Bobby Martínez and Birmingham 2005-06 with Steve Bruce.
That suggests Southampton's problem is not the system. But it's still early. This is a big game for them and Russell would no doubt have considered it a rare and very winnable away game.
It is not an exaggeration to say May Russell Martin's team in Southampton tonight be amazing. No forward, except five on the bench and a single defender. Will Ryan Fraser, the 5ft 4in Scottish dynamo, lead the line? Or will it be Maxwel Cornet, on loan from West Ham, who has not started? first division I've been playing since January, but tonight he's in the XI. Aaron Ramsdale, perhaps less surprisingly, starts against his former team.
Bournemouth have changed some things since their defeat at Anfield, but their eleven is more or less what you would expect. Adam Smith enters alongside Araujo and captains Bournemouth tonight. What a servant the Englishman has been for the club. Evanilson, meanwhile, is still searching for his first goal for the Cherries.
The teams!
AFC Bournemouth: Arrizabalaga, Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez, Cook, Christie, Semenyo, Ouattara, Tavernier, Evanilson.
Substitutes: Travers, Huijsen, Brooks, Scott, Sinisterra, Kluivert, Araujo, Unal, Aarons.
Southampton: Ramsdale, Sugawara, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Taylor, Downes, Ugochukwu, Cornet, Fernandes, Fraser, Dibling.
Substitutes: McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Aribo, Armstrong, Lallana, Stewart, Brereton, Archer, Onuachu.
Referee: Miguel Oliver
Preamble
We're still in the honeymoon phase of 2024-25 – after a few dates, there have been a few butterflies, a couple of nervous but excited glances and all we know at this stage is that we're excited to find out more. And in the cases of Bournemouth and Southampton, there is a lot to learn: the hosts are still readjusting by replacing one expensive striker (Dominic Solanke) with another (Evanilson), as well as a new goalkeeper between the sticks (Kepa), while Southampton are becoming a social experiment in how brave or stupid a football team can be by continuing to play from behind. The Saints may still be the bookies' favorites to be relegated, but they came very close to their first win of the season. last time against Ipswich – Have they turned a corner?
This may not be a traditional date/date reveal, or particularly romantic, but there's a lot to keep us interested. Just don't call Bournemouth v Southampton a derby
Kick off: 8 pm eastern time.
