Tottenham v Bournemouth – Line-ups, stats and preview

Tottenham can move to the top of the Premier League table when they host Bournemouth in North London on Saturday afternoon.

Thomas Frank’s side stunned champions Manchester City last weekend with a disciplined 2-0 victory at the Etihad, while the Cherries crashed out of the Carabao Cup in midweek after a disappointing defeat to Brentford.

Spurs once again proved their resilience against Pep Guardiola’s men, with Brennan Johnson’s superb counter-attacking finish opening the scoring before Joao Palhinha pounced on a James Trafford error to double the lead.

From there, Tottenham’s defensive shape and organisation stifled City’s forward line, securing back-to-back wins to start the season.

Frank has joined an exclusive managerial club by beating Guardiola away from home with two different teams, a feat previously achieved only by Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.

His new side sit second in the table behind Arsenal on goal difference and will climb above them with at least a point against Bournemouth, though supporters will expect nothing less than a win.

Victory would also see Spurs begin a Premier League campaign with three straight wins for just the fourth time in their history. Only once before – under Nuno Espírito Santo in 2021-22 – have they managed to start with three wins and three clean sheets.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, bounced back from opening-day disappointment against Liverpool by edging Wolves 1-0 thanks to Marcus Tavernier’s early strike. However, any momentum was halted in midweek as they exited the Carabao Cup to Brentford, with Fabio Carvalho and Igor Thiago on the scoresheet.

Andoni Iraola’s side can still draw confidence from their recent record in London – they are unbeaten in their last six away league matches in the capital, albeit five of those were draws.

They also took four points off Spurs last season, famously squandering a 2-0 lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before Heung-Min Son salvaged a draw from the penalty spot.

Team news for Tottenham v Bournemouth

Tottenham remain without several key players. Yves Bissouma, who has yet to feature this season amid fitness and disciplinary issues, is set to miss out again, while Dejan Kulusevski (knee), Radu Dragușin (ACL), James Maddison (ACL), Kota Takai (foot) and Bryan Gil (knee) are all sidelined. Destiny Udogie (knee) and Manor Solomon (calf) are doubts.

Despite those absences, Frank is expected to name an unchanged side after the impressive win at City. Brennan Johnson and Richarlison will be hunting history, with both forwards in line to become the first Spurs players to record a goal or assist in each of the opening three games of a Premier League season.

Bournemouth will be forced into at least one change, as Julian Araujo serves a suspension following his red card against Brentford. Adam Smith is the natural replacement at right-back. Enes Unal and Lewis Cook (both knee) remain unavailable until after the international break.

Iraola rotated heavily for the EFL Cup defeat, handing starts to several new arrivals, but is expected to restore his first-choice attack, with Tavernier, Antoine Semenyo, David Brooks and Evanilson leading the line.

Expected line-ups for Tottenham v Bournemouth

Tottenham: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Bentancur; Kudus, Sarr, Johnson; Richarlison

Bournemouth: Petrovic; Smith, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert; Adams, Scott; Semenyo, Tavernier, Brooks; Evanilson

How to watch Tottenham v Bournemouth: TV channel, online stream

Kick-off is at 3pm (UK) on Saturday. The match will not be shown live on TV in the UK due to the blackout rule, but highlights will be available later in the day.

The stats for Tottenham v Bournemouth

• Spurs are aiming to win their opening three Premier League games for the fourth time in their history
• Tottenham have kept clean sheets in both league games so far
• Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last six Premier League away trips to London (five draws, one win)
• The Cherries have failed to score in just one of their last 16 away league matches
• Bournemouth earned four points against Spurs last season

Prediction

Bournemouth’s direct runners like Semenyo and Tavernier mean they carry a threat on the counter, and given their strong scoring record away from home, they could notch a goal.

However, Tottenham’s momentum and attacking sharpness should see them overpower the Cherries.

Prediction: Tottenham 3-1 Bournemouth