Bournemouth hosts Everton in Premier League Matchweek 2 with both sides navigating early-season injury concerns

AFC Bournemouth welcome Everton to the Vitality Stadium on August 29 for a 3:00pm BST kickoff that carries outsized weight for two clubs heading in opposite directions after the opening weekend. Bournemouth fell 2-1 to Manchester City, while Everton opened with a clean 2-0 win over Crystal Palace. For Bournemouth, there’s a useful psychological cushion: they haven’t lost a home match against Everton in eight consecutive seasons. What Bournemouth look like under Marco Rose Rose, now at the helm of the Cherries, appears set to deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation. His predicted starting lineup features Petrovic in goal, a back four of Smith, Hill, Silva, and Truffert, a double pivot of Cook and Scott, with Rayan, Kluivert, and Tavernier operating behind lone striker Evanilson. Rose won’t have his full toolkit available. Amine Adli and Julian Araujo are both sidelined through injury, forcing adjustments that could limit tactical flexibility off the bench. Everton’s early momentum and missing pieces Everton’s predicted XI tells a story of pragmatic selection: Pickford behind a back line featuring O’Brien or Röhl alongside Tarkowski, Branthwaite, and Mykolenko. Garner and Hackney anchor the midfi...