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Bournemouth vs Burnley – Match Preview

With it being the penultimate weekend of the season you always going to get a handful of matches which turn out to be dead rubbers. This is very much going to be one of those, of course that is no disrespect to either Bournemouth or Burnley but there is not a great deal to play for at The Vitality Stadium this Afternoon.

At the time of writing (Friday) Bournemouth found themselves 11th while counterparts Burnley sit 14th in the table. Neither team is threatened by the impending doom that relegation brings but they could both realistically end up finishing in the top half.

For Bournemouth it would bring about progress from last season while for Burnley it would bring around a job well done in their first season back in the top flight. One spectacle that will be interesting to see is the fact that we will see two English managers go head to head in this division.

With the paucity of managers from England plying their trade in the Premier League that is something of a rarity and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top this afternoon. Eddie Howe often gets the plaudits and hype while Sean Dyche does not quite get the credit he deserves.

Bournemouth have won many friends since their arrival at this level while Burnley have kept their heads above water with one of if not the smallest budget out of the 20 top flight outfits. More importantly what money Burnley have got it has been spent wisely.

Not only have their been signings in mind to get the initial job of survival completed but also with next season in mind, the likes of Robbie Brady have made a positive impact on the club since his arrival to Turf Moor back in January.

In essence he was the replacement for Robert Snodgrass and although many may have feared how Burnley would have coped without their main creator going into the second half of the season it is fair to say that they have hardly missed a beat. For Snodgrass now read Brady.

Bournemouth have come positively out of a mid season rut to find themselves on the fringes of the top half and a big part in that has to be the goals of Josh King. He has been instrumental in making sure The Cherries second season in the Premier League does not turn sour.

Norwegian international King has without doubt been the talisman for Bournemouth over the past few weeks and it’s 15 goals in total for Bournemouth in this campaign which has meant life has been comfortable for the South Coast side as they avoid relegation for a second straight season.

Last week both sides were involved in 2-2 home draws. Bournemouth were held at home to Mark Hughes’ Stoke while Burnley had Sam Vokes to thank for snatching a late point against Tony Pulis’ West Brom. That would indicate that there is not a lot to choose from between these two sides.

Burnley finally got the away monkey off their back a fortnight ago when they beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, a win that all but confirmed their status in the Premier League for next season. With the pressure off can they now make it two away wins in a row?

In fairness I can see this one ending up as a share of the points, there really is little difference between the two outfits and with nothing at stake I think this one will end up being something of a procession beside the seaside. This one to end as a draw.

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