Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke out to equal club record in Everton clash
Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke will have the chance to equal a club record in Saturday’s home meeting with Everton.
The 26-year-old has been integral to Bournemouth’s efforts this season, scoring 15 goals in 28 Premier League matches.
Solanke is currently sitting in third spot in the Premier League scoring charts alongside Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and behind Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
Despite playing every league game for Bournemouth this season, Solanke has been struggling with a knee problem in recent weeks.
However, the international break has given Solanke time to rest and make good progress in his bid to recover from the injury issue
“We have no issues with Dom,” Andoni Iraola told reporters ahead of Saturday’s clash with Everton. “It’s a good moment for him personally. We have given him a bit of rest and time to recover, and he has been doing very well this week. I 100% expect him to be involved.
With Solanke set to start against the Toffees, he will have the chance to equal the club record for the most goals scored by a Bournemouth player in a single Premier League campaign.
Solanke is currently one short of the record held by Joshua King, who netted 16 league goals during the 2016-17 season.
Unfortunately for Solanke, Everton are not one of his favoured opponents, having scored just once in eight encounters with the Toffees.
That solitary goal took place in July 2020, helping Bournemouth claim a 3-1 victory over Everton at Goodison Park.
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Bournemouth have reason to be confident
While Solanke is yet to score in a home game against Everton, Bournemouth boast an impressive record in head-to-head matches at the Vitality Stadium.
The Cherries have avoided defeat in all six of their previous Premier League home meetings with the Merseyside club (W4, D2).
They have scored at least two goals in five of those six matches, while both of their last two head-to-head home games have produced a victory.
Bournemouth cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win in last season’s home meeting, which came courtesy of goals from Kieffer Moore, Marcus Tavernier and Jaidon Anthony.
The hosts will certainly fancy their chances of extending their unbeaten home run against the Toffes, having avoided defeat in each of their last nine league outings at the Vitality Stadium.
The 13th-placed side showed great character in their most recent home fixture, fighting back from three goals down to beat Luton Town 4-3.
