The sixth round of Premier League will kick off this Friday, September 20 with a south coast derby between Southampton and Bournemouth, at St. Mary's Stadium in Southampton. And while some may disagree this is a "south coast derby", there is barely 50km (33 miles) separating the two clubs, both of which are in desperate need for points, so it's only fair to say this will be as close to a "real" derby as it gets

Bournemouth injury concerns continue

Bournemouth enter their sixth fixture of the season with a 2-1-2 record next to their name. So far into the season, the Cherries drew against Sheffield Utd (1:1), won against Aston Villa (2:1), lost against Man City (1:3) and Leicester (1:3) and won their most recent match against Everton (3:1). Looking at their results, it would be safe to say their form is mixed. That being said, they did impress with what they have shown against Everton at Vitality Stadium on Sunday, where they performed admirably, well despite having a long list of injured players.

It’s also worth noting their star striker Callum Wilson has woken up from his “slumber” and scored twice on that day, meaning he is currently at three goals five fixtures deep. Will he be able to add another one this Friday is anyone's guess, but it's safe to say he is slowly finding his form, which should be something Bournemouth’s opponents should take notice of.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men finding their form

The Saints started off their 2019/20 EPL campaign the worst possible way i.e. with a defeat against Burnley (3:0), followed by a 1:2 loss to Liverpool. Since then, however, Southampton won an away game against Brighton (2:0), drew against Manchester United at home (1:1) and impressed last week with a 1:0 away win against Sheffield United.

Looking over their results so far, it's easy to see Hasenhuttl's men managed to score in every game since the first game of the season. And that should not come off as a surprise, considering how many chances the team creates. That being said, their new signing Che Adams has not scored a goal, and from what we have witnessed from him it's only a matter of time before he scored his first goal of the season.

Prediction

All in all, there is little to separate the two sides ahead of their clash on Friday. Both hold onto a 2-1-2 record and seven points on the board. Looking at the last eight league meetings between them, Southampton won three times, Bournemouth won once, whereas the remaining four fixtures ended in a draw, which was also the case in the last two meetings (3:3 and 0:0).

Ahead of this fixture, Bournemouth could welcome back Francis and Kelly, who were missing in their clash with Everton, but are now fit and available to Eddie Howe.

Taking everything into consideration, this match could be much closer than what the odds suggest. While Bournemouth did suffer two painful 1:3 defeats against Man City and Leicester, we can't ignore how well the team performed on Sunday against Everton. While the Cherries still have some injury concerns, they will arrive at St. Mary's Stadium with the most complete squad of the season. Expect Bournemouth to push Southampton to their limits and earn at least a draw.

Prediction: Bournemouth +0.50 Asian Handicap (same as Double Chance)
Odds: 1.81 at Pinnacle

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