Bournemouth Prepares for Ipswich Clash After Impressive Winning Streak

Bournemouth’s marathon finally eases to a halt on Sunday afternoon, but they arrive at the last stop in some shape.

Nine games in a relentless stretch, seven wins on the spin across three competitions, 19 goals rattled in. The Cherries hit this Premier League meeting with Ipswich Town as one of the form sides in the country, playing with the swagger of a team that suddenly believes every attack will end with the net bulging.

The only blemish in recent weeks? A single goal conceded in Thursday’s 3-1 Europa League win away at Sparta Prague. Even that came with an asterisk. Marco Rose shuffled his pack for the trip, rotated heavily, and still watched his side manage the occasion with authority.

Now the dial turns back to full strength.

Rose is expected to restore several of his big guns to the starting XI after giving them a breather in midweek. Djordje Petrovic should return in goal, the first-choice presence behind a defence likely to be rebuilt around Adam Smith, Antonio Silva, Lloyd Kelly Hill and Adrien Truffert. Fresh legs, familiar structure.

In front of them, the engine room looks set to regain its bite. Tyler Adams, rested from the start in Prague, is in line to anchor midfield, with Ryan Christie offering the link between the deeper build-up and the front four. When Bournemouth have clicked during this winning run, those two have often been the ones setting the tempo, snapping into tackles and then springing counters with one sharp pass.

The attacking band has been ruthless of late and there is little reason to tinker with the formula. Rayan, Justin Kluivert and Marcus Tavernier are all expected to come back into the side, a trio that offers craft between the lines, direct running and goals from wide areas. Ahead of them, Evanilson has emerged as a reliable focal point, stretching defences and finishing moves with a striker’s certainty.

There is intrigue around the bench, too. Alex Scott has returned to training earlier than anticipated after a thigh injury, pushing himself back into Rose’s thoughts ahead of schedule. The England international is unlikely to be thrown straight into the starting lineup, but his presence among the substitutes would be a significant boost for the weeks to come.

Junior Kroupi, unavailable for Europa League duty, will also rejoin the matchday squad and deepen Rose’s options in the attacking positions. On a day when tired legs could surface after such a punishing run, that extra spark from the bench might matter.

All signs point to Bournemouth going strong one more time before the schedule finally relents. The likely XI speaks for itself: