The first fixture of 2025 will see Bournemouth battle it out against Everton at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday in the Premier League game.
The fanbases of these two clubs could not be happier or more dissatisfied with the current direction in which they are headed; Everton is still feeling its low and the Cherries are experiencing their best ever start to a Premier League season.
Recent good performances have put Bournemouth seven consecutive Premier League games without defeat that is the best in their history the team Manager Andoni Iraola has been chosen as a nominee for the Manager of the Month.
That unbeaten streak was extended again in dramatic manner, and in the most dramatic of ways last week when Dango Ouattara chipped in a equaliser with 89 minutes on the clock for Fulham to embrace a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage.
Amazingly, that was the tenth goal after the 85th minute of the game for the season – that is three more goals than any other team.
Another point on the board saw them hit thirty, for the seventh position in the Premier League table to end the 2024 season only four places and four points adrift of champions, Manchester City and five points away from the UEFA Champions League places.
Iraola has become a darling of the media for his side’s high-pressing and intensive performances, and their attacking statistics support that claim, as only two other teams took more shots than their 601 across 2024 in the Premier League.
The outstanding final was their spirit at Old Trafford two weeks ago – the best of the season so far, which has made United the second team in the history of the Premiership becoming winners with a three goal difference in successive seasons and the first team in 63 years.
A close second would be their victory in the rematch at the end of August, when Bournemouth took advantage of Everton's surrender to win 3-2 at Goodison Park despite trailing by two goals at the 87-minute mark, setting a new record for the latest a team has ever trailed 2-0 and still won a Premier League game.
They have won four straight home games against Everton and have never lost to the Toffees in the Premier League at the Vitality, so that puts them in a strong position going into this matchup as well.
In the Premier League, Everton has never faced an opponent more frequently without defeating them, and their recent performance doesn't indicate they could do so again.
No Everton supporter will have a pleasant memory of 2024 because, barring relegation before the relocation to their new stadium, things cannot go any worse this year.
With half of those triumphs occurring during a purple patch in April, Everton's eight wins during the full calendar year put them in 91st place in the entire EFL—only Burton Albion had less wins. It was also their lowest total for the year since 1997.
With only 31 goals scored during the entire season, no side in the 92 was even close to Everton at the bottom of the scoring categories, which helps to explain their poor attacking performance.
No Everton supporter will have a pleasant memory of 2024 because, barring relegation before the relocation to their new stadium, things cannot go any worse this year.
With half of those triumphs occurring during a purple patch in April, Everton's eight wins during the full calendar year put them in 91st place in the entire EFL—only Burton Albion had less wins. It was also their lowest total for the year since 1997.
With only 31 goals scored during the entire season, no side in the 92 was even close to Everton at the bottom of the scoring categories, which helps to explain their poor attacking performance.
Everton has now failed to score in 38% of the games under Sean Dyche's direction after giving up two easy goals defensively and forcing rival goalie Matz Sels into a save after more than 80 minutes.
With just one victory in ten games, the gap has narrowed below them once more. Ipswich Town's unexpected victory over Chelsea has put them within two points of the Toffees.
Although Bournemouth has only won once in 12 opening games of the year, the visitors are also not usually good starts to the new year, having lost six of their last seven.
