Bournemouth vs. Southampton: Prediction for the FA Cup match (March 20, 2021)

Even last season, the "Cherries" played in the elite division of English football, but as a result, they were forced to move to a lower level. At the moment "Bournemouth" is fighting for a place in the playoffs. Jonathan Woodgate's team is seventh in the standings, just two points behind the Top-6.

Reaching the quarterfinals of the prestigious English tournament is already a great success for "Bournemouth", as the last time the team climbed so high in the FA Cup was back in 1957. Last year, the "Cherries" were eliminated in the 1/16 finals, losing 1:2 to "Arsenal". In the current tournament, they have already overcome such rivals as "Oldham Athletic" (4:1), and at the previous stage, they defeated "Burnley" (2:0). It should also be noted that the defeat by the "Gunners" last year was the only one in the FA Cup in the last four home matches, three of which ended in victories.

There are six players in the infirmary at once: David Brooks, Adam Smith, Lewis Cook, Junior Stanislas, Lloyd Kelly, and Shane Long. Jefferson Lerma is disqualified.

The staffing situation of "Southampton" is not much better. Danny Ings, Oriol Romeu, Theo Walcott, Michael Obafemi, Takumi Minamino, and William Smallbone will definitely not play in the next fight for various reasons.

In the Premier League, Ralph Hasenhüttl's men have lost ten of their last 12 matches, having achieved just one victory over outsider "Sheffield United" (2:0). As a result of such a performance, in the Premier League standings, the "Saints" have already slipped to 14th place.

As for the FA Cup, in the previous two seasons, "Southampton" did not go further than the 1/16 finals, but a year earlier reached the semi-finals, where they gave way to "Chelsea" (0:2). In the current draw, Ralph Hasenhüttl's guys have already left "Arsenal" (1:0) and "Wolverhampton" (2:0) behind, while started with a victory over an opponent from the lower division, "Shrewsbury Town" (2:0).