5 bold Premier League predictions: Liverpool crush Chelsea

4. Bournemouth beat Southampton in entertaining south coast derby

Friday night will see a south coast derby take place when Bournemouth make their shortest Premier League trip to face Southampton. These teams have had identical starts to the season in terms of points and this should be a really close match.

Southampton won away at Sheffield United in their last game whilst Bournemouth dispatched Everton at home. In the last five games between the two sides, there has only been one win – Southampton’s 2-1 victory back in April 2018.

Bournemouth have done incredibly well to establish themselves in the Premier League and with each season their squad is getting stronger and more accustomed to life in England’s top flight. The longer they stay in the league though the more their fans’ expectations will grow.

This is a winnable match for the Cherries and they should fancy their chances against a Southampton side that isn’t necessarily complete yet. Ralph Hasenhuttl has done well since taking over at the club and has definitely brought more stability to the Saints.

However, it takes time to find consistency in this league and that makes Hasenhuttl’s side a little bit unpredictable currently. If Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth can show this consistency then they will take all three points on Friday.

Since an opening day 3-0 loss at Burnley, Southampton have only conceded three goals in four matches – not bad considering two of those games were against Liverpool and Manchester United. Bournemouth have conceded plenty but they’ve also found the net in every game they’ve played.

It’s hard not to see Bournemouth scoring but it’s also hard to see them keeping Southampton out which should mean goals. This will be a close match but the Cherries will earn the bragging rights as they beat Southampton 3-2.