Ipswich vs Bournemouth: Tavernier and Evanilson Smell Blood

Ten goals scored. Ten goals conceded. Ipswich Town's last six Premier League matches read like a statistical coin flip — but the trajectory matters, and right now it points in a worrying direction. Back-to-back draws against Hull City (2-2) and Nottingham Forest (1-1) followed a 3-2 loss to Manchester City, and while two wins in those six games show there's fight in this squad, a defence that has shipped 10 times in six outings is exactly the kind of invitation AFC Bournemouth have been waiting for.

Bournemouth arrive at matchweek 10 on the back of three straight wins — 2-0 over Leeds United, 3-0 at Manchester United, 2-0 against Sunderland. That's seven goals scored across those three matches without conceding once. For anyone tracking fantasy football options or la liga-style attacking returns in the Premier League, Marcus Tavernier is the name you should already have written down. Five goals from nine appearances, 15 key passes — he's operating at a level that puts him level with João Pedro and Nicolas Jackson in the league's top scorers chart, and that is not a sentence you'd have predicted at the start of the season. Then there's Evanilson: four goals and four assists in nine games, the kind of output that wouldn't look out of place in a bundesliga or serie a highlights reel. These two together are a genuine problem for any defence, let alone one that just conceded twice to Hull.

Ipswich aren't without their own threats. Julio Enciso has quietly built two goals and two assists from eight appearances, with 13 key passes making him the creative hub this side runs through. Leif Davis chipping in with two goals from left back adds an unexpected dimension, and Emersonn has two goals and an assist in nine appearances up front. The numbers across the squad aren't embarrassing — it's the consistency that escapes them. That W-L-W-L-D-D run over six matches tells you a team that beats you one week and capitulates the next. Bournemouth, by contrast, have found something over the past three weeks that feels like momentum rather than a fluke.

The injury picture complicates things for Bournemouth. Eight players are unavailable, including Julián Araujo, Max Aarons, Veljko Milosavljevic, Juanlu Sánchez and Fraser Forster, which creates real problems in defensive and goalkeeping depth. Djordje Petrovic keeps goal and has three clean sheets to his name, while Alex Scott's 11 key passes from just five appearances makes him a ligue 1-level creative influence from midfield. Ipswich have their own absentees to manage in Jaden Philogene and others, though on paper their 30-man available squad gives them options.

Here's the thing — Ipswich's home form gives them something to work with, and in a wide-open match like this, Enciso and Ouattara can cause damage on the break. But Bournemouth's forward line is running hot right now, their defensive record over those last three games is a clean sheet hat-trick, and momentum in football is real. Sunday favours the visitors.

Clubs in this story

AFC Bournemouth Ipswich Town Manchester United Nottingham Forest Manchester City Leeds United Sunderland Hull City