Tottenham Hotspur vs AFC Bournemouth preview, team news, tickets & prediction

Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham are looking to attain a top-four spot and stay there as the season enters its busiest period. 

In-form Bournemouth travel to the capital on New Years Eve, to face a Tottenham Hotspur side who have recently lost their way. The Cherries have a slender lead above the drop zone, but they must keep getting the results that ensure they rise the standings. 

Spurs won the reverse fixture 2-0, but Bournemouth were victorious on their last visit to the Tottenham Stadium, with Dango Ouattara scoring an added-time winner for a 3-2 win last season. 

Nevertheless, Postecoglou’s side started this season in excellent form as they went unbeaten in the first ten games, winning eight. Spurs clicked right from the off with their new manager overseeing an overhaul in their playing style by bringing a brand of exciting attacking football. 

An opening-day draw at Brentford was followed by consecutive 2-0 victories over Manchester United and Bournemouth. They then beat Burnley 5-2 and Sheffield United 2-1 via two added-time strikes, adding to their credentials with a draw against Arsenal and a controversial late win versus Liverpool. 

Spurs beat Luton with a man sent-off, then won consecutive London derbies against Fulham and Crystal Palace. The chance to win a third straight derby was denied as Chelsea inflicted a damaging 4-1 defeat, which proved disastrous as the suspensions and injuries from that encounter cost them two more defeats against Wolves and Aston Villa.

Having lost three games on the bounce, the Lilywhites were brave and resilient in fighting back to claim a thrilling 3-3 draw at Manchester City. That result was closely followed by a loss to West Ham, but back to back wins against Newcastle and Forest will give them a boost of confidence as key players return from suspension going into the festive fixtures. 

Tottenham are competing for the UEFA Champions League spots this term, and they must string results together to avoid a free fall, having been displaced from the top four by Aston Villa. 

Before this match, Spurs have Everton at home on the 23rd December, and a tricky away trip to Brighton on the 28th December.

Spurs December Results and Fixtures

For Bournemouth, Andoni Iraola has survived a shaky start to his tenure that saw his job come under pressure as they failed to win any of their first nine games in the Premier League. 

The sacking of Gary O’Neil on the eve of the season was a less-than-ideal build-up, and those fears were realized early as they drew West Ham and Brentford while losing to Liverpool and Tottenham in their first four games. 

A scoreless draw with Chelsea started a run of four straight defeats during which they found the net only twice. However, goals from Antoine Semenyo and Philip Billing gave them their first win of the season at Burnley in late October, and they were able to build on it in November with wins over Newcastle and Sheffield United, and a recent stunning 3-0 at Old Trafford.

A trip to North London is nevertheless daunting, especially considering Tottenham’s fortunes this season. Yet, they will be confident of winning if they can physically impose themselves in midfield and hit Spurs on the counter. 

Bournemouth December Results and Fixtures

Match tickets

This match will take place on Sunday, 31 December 2023, with kick-off set for 2 PM UK time. You can find match tickets available for sale on each club’s website, but priority is given to season ticket holders.

This is an exciting game for the Tottenham faithful due to their excellent form overall this term; things are looking up under Postecoglou so the crowd will be solidly behind the home team. The magnificent setting of the 62,850-capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium also makes it a spectacular day out for all involved on the last day of the calendar year.

Hence, Bournemouth fans will also be looking to cheer their team on. Non-season ticket holders are unlikely to find tickets via official channels, but they may be lucky enough to find Tottenham vs Bournemouth tickets on a ticket resale site.

Team news

The hosts have recently suffered several injuries with long-term issues for Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic, and Ryan Sessegnon. Meanwhile, Micky van de Ven and James Maddison have been ruled out until the new year, with Eric Dier’s return also unknown. 

Rodrigo Bentancur has returned to the treatment table to join the likes of Ashley Phillips, Alfie Whiteman, and Pape Matar Sarr. The latter will likely be unavailable until January, when he is due for African Cup of Nations duty, so we may not see him in a Spurs jersey for a while.

The Cherries have confirmed that Lloyd Kelly will be out for “some weeks,” so he is not expected to be fit enough to play Tottenham. Tyler Adams, Max Aarons, Ryan Fredricks, Emiliano Marcondes, Alex Scott, and Darren Randolph are ruled out elsewhere. 

Line-ups

Tottenham are without their dynamic playmaker, James Maddison, but Postecoglou’s side have still found a way to score goals. They shouldn’t have problems netting against Bournemouth’s poor defense, as the return of Richarlison adds to their attacking ranks. 

Giovani Lo Celso has made an impression since breaking into the line-up due to injuries and suspension, with his goals from midfield giving his manager something to think about.    

Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Davies, Udogie; Bissouma, Lo Celso; Kulusevski, Gil, Johnson; Son

Justin Kluivert has earned a starting place in recent weeks and hopes to keep it in this hectic run of games. However, Philip Billing’s physicality and defensive orientation could be favoured against Tottenham.  

Bournemouth will depend on Dominic Solanke for the goals as the centre-forward enjoys his best-ever scoring season in the top flight-after only 14 appearances. Hence, providing enough service for the striker will be crucial in getting a result at Spurs. 

Bournemouth: Neto; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Cook, Christie; Semenyo, Billing, Tavernier; Solanke

Prediction

Tottenham is playing much better than last season, so that you can expect fewer surprises against a stubborn and physically dominant side like Bournemouth. The hosts must, therefore, be clinical and count on their lively forwards to win the game.  

On the other hand, Iraola would be desperate to see his team capitalize on any Tottenham slip-ups, as they can steal a result. This should be an exciting watch.

Tottenham 2-1 Bournemouth