Confirmed lineups for Bournemouth v Fulham

Bournemouth looked to be serious contenders for a place in Europe not too long ago, sitting in 6th place ahead of their home fixture against Wolves on matchday 26. But the 0-1 defeat at the Vitality Stadium marked the beginning of a dreadful period for the Cherries, who now find themselves down in 10th in the English top-flight standings.

Andoni Iraola's men are winless since February 15th when they won 3-1 in their visit to Southampton, stumbling against Wolves (0-1), Brighton (2-1), Tottenham Hotspur (2-2), Brentford (1-2), Ipswich Town (1-2), and West Ham (2-2) in the Premier League, and against Wolves (1-1 draw with the subsequent success on penalties) and Manchester City (1-2) in the FA Cup.

The run marks the Spanish manager's worst moment, at least from a statistical point of view, since landing at the south coast side back in the summer of 2023. Iraola, who recently extended his contract with Bournemouth until 2026, will be desperate to claim maximum points against Fulham, hoping to reignite their faint European hopes.

But the Cottages, sitting 3 points ahead of Bournemouth, will be feeling full of confidence after defeating league leaders Liverpool in a shocking 3-2 win last week. And with their own continental ambitions at stake, Marco Silva will be keen on catching up to the top sides after it was confirmed that the Premier League would be guaranteed an extra Champions League spot for the upcoming season.

Victory for Bournemouth would allow them to level their tally with their upcoming visitors on 48 points, while for eighth-placed Fulham, it would bring them within three points of Aston Villa, whom they will go up against on May 3. Although the Cottagers look to be edging their opponents on paper, they must avoid undermining them after ending up on the losing side on their last two visits to the Vitality Stadium.

In terms of team news, Ryan Christie will be out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery due to a groin issue, joining Enes Unal, ruled out with an ACL injury, on the list of long-term absentees. Bournemouth are also without Justin Kluivert (knock) and Luis Sinisterra (hamstring) for Monday night's battle.

As for Fulham, Reiss Nelson, sidelined for the rest of the season with a thigh problem, is one of two absentees as Harry Wilson is still missing from the fold. The Wales international has recently returned to training, having been sidelined since the end of January. Elsewhere, Silva has avoided making alterations from the team that beat Liverpool last time out.

Bournemouth's starting XI (4-2-3-1): Kepa (GK); Smith, Senesi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Adams, Cook; Semenyo, Scott, Ouattara; Evanilson.

Fulham's starting XI (4-2-3-1): Leno (GK); Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Lukic; Sessegnon, Pereira, Iwobi; Muniz.