Bournemouth have been the early surprise of the season (Photo credit: Getty Images/Christopher Lee)
Bournemouth will be hoping to recover from a 4-0 loss at Burnley last time out and overcome Crystal Palace, in which a win which would take the Cherries up to 7th place in the Premier League.
Eddie Howe’s men began the season in fine form, taking many by surprise to shoot up the league table, most notably in a comprehensive 4-2 win over Leicester City.
With the likes of Ryan Fraser & Callum Wilson starting the season in fine form, the Cherries have amassed 10 points from their first six games. A tally which has put them well on course of their primary target, survival.
Crystal Palace are the side visiting the Vitality Stadium this Monday night, who despite not getting off to a blistering start, are in a far better position than they were 12 months ago. This time last year they were yet to gain a point, or to score a goal, leaving them rooted firmly to the bottom of the table.
Roy Hodgson has had no such issues this season, with Wilfired Zaha fit and firing to help the Eagles to a comfortable mid-table position. Their last result was a disappointing 0-0 draw with struggling Newcastle, but if it weren’t for the ineptitude of Mamadou Sakho, they would have taken all three points.
Keeping Zaha quiet
If Bournemouth are to get anything out of this game, it is vital they keep Zaha quiet, and new signing Jefferson Lerma will be a huge factor in achieving that task. The Colombia international will have to do an exceptional man-marking job on the Ivorian, but must carefully toe-the-line of committing too many fouls.
After the recent comments by Zaha around his lack of protection, it is expected that referees will be keeping a keen eye on that battle.
A history of draws
The two fixtures between these two sides last season produced a 2-2 draw, so goals and entertainment are to be expected. The last time these sides played out a 0-0 draw was in 2015.
The two sides have met seven times in the league, with Bournemouth winning twice, Palace just the once, and the remaning four games ending in draws. Therefore, a score draw is what the form indicates for this weeks Monday Night Football.
Prediction : Bournemouth 1-1 Crystal Palace
