Tottenham could climb back into the Premier League top four when they face Bournemouth on Saturday.
A controversial 2-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion in Spurs’ last outing handed Cristian Stellini’s side a first league win in three, keeping the Lilywhites in fifth with both Man United and Newcastle also winning. Spurs remain in the top four battle, and they will be desperate to pick up a string of wins to solidify their chances of Champions League football next season.
It may prove a tough test for Spurs though, with Bournemouth winning three of their last five to move three points clear of the relegation zone. The previous meeting between these two sides resulted in one of the games of the season, with Spurs coming from two goals behind to win 3-2.
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So, can Spurs return to the top four this weekend? Let's take a look.
Spurs vs Bournemouth score predicted by simulation
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions. Managers cannot be changed in FIFA 23 kick-off, so Antonio Conte is still listed as Spurs' manager.
We predict that Spurs could line up in a 3-4-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Lloris; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Porro, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Perisic; Kulusevski, Kane, Son.
We predict that the Cherries could line up in a 4-3-2-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Neto; Smith, Stephens, Mepham, Kelly; Rothwell, Lerma; Christie, Billing, Outtara; Solanke.
Despite Spurs' tendency to start games slowly, Stellini's side were quick out of the blocks, creating some good chances in the first half, despite entering the break at 0-0. Heung-Min Son was causing the Cherries all sorts of problems, and the forward opened the scoring shortly after the restart with an outstanding strike.
Oliver Skipp won possession for Spurs in the middle after a loose pass from Ryan Christie, and the midfielder sprayed a pass out to Son on the left. After cutting inside, the South Korean took aim with an ambitious effort from 30 yards out, and his effort looped over the 'keeper before dropping into the net.
After going a goal ahead, Spurs seemed to grow in confidence, with Bournemouth struggling to get a hold of the ball in the second half. And, with 24 minutes to go, Stellini's side doubled their lead.
Dejan Kulusevski did well to dupe his marker on the right and break into the box, and a smart flick into the path of Pedro Porro on the overlap put Spurs in a dangerous position. On the byline, the Spaniard drilled the ball into the feet of Kane, and the Englishman powered his shot through the legs of the defender and into the far corner to make it 2-0.
Bournemouth almost made it 2-1 when Dominic Solanke capitalised on a poor back pass from Eric Dier, but after rounding the 'keeper, Cristian Romero made a great recovery challenge to keep the clean sheet intact. It was a much-improved performance from Spurs compared to recent weeks, and the Lilywhites topped off a fantastic afternoon with a third late on.
Kulusevski was a handful on the right, and the Swede breezed past his marker once again before hooking a cross towards the back post. The ball looped over the defender's head before landing at the feet of Son, and a well-placed volley saw his effort nestle into the far corner to make it 3-0.
FIFA 23 predicted score: Spurs 3-0 Bournemouth
Here are the full-time match stats:
FIFA 23 predicts that Spurs could ease their way to an emphatic victory, beating Bournemouth 3-0 in the simulation. Heung-Min Son looked back to his best against the Bournemouth defence, whilst Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg were commanding in the middle.
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