Can Bournemouth defend eighth place?

On Sunday, April 27, 2025, AFC Bournemouth and Manchester United will face off in the Premier League. Looking at the table, the home side appear to have the better chance of winning, as the Cherries still have a chance of playing in Europe next season, while the visitors are languishing in mid-table. For this reason, the Bournemouth vs. Manchester United odds from German bookmakers are pretty clear in favor of a home win, at 1.72.

In our Bournemouth vs. Manchester United prediction, we take a closer look at both teams and check whether the odds distribution is really justified. We start with the home and away records of the two teams. This point goes to the home side, because while the Cherries have already collected 24 points at their own stadium, the Red Devils have only managed 17 points away from home. However, this slight advantage is not enough for us to base our betting tip on. We need more details, so let’s move on to a comparison of form. Will this paint a completely different picture?

Absolutely, because while the visitors have lost only three of their last 13 competitive games, the Cherries have suffered six defeats in the same period. However, if we limit ourselves to the last three games of both teams, the home side suddenly has the upper hand. Andoni Iraola’s team is currently unbeaten in three league games, while the visitors have not won in four PL games. In the first part of our analysis, the Bournemouth vs. Manchester United tip for a home win seems quite interesting.

Bournemouth – Statistics & current form

Bournemouth has had a very decent season so far, picking up 49 points from its first 33 league games. This puts Andoni Iraola’s team in eighth place and safely mid-table in the Premier League. The Cherries also still have a chance of qualifying for the Conference League. However, the home side will need some help from elsewhere, as only if one of the English teams wins one of the three European competitions could AFC move up from eighth place. Four other clubs are also eyeing eighth place, which is why a win against Manchester United would be extremely important.

Bournemouth can make an impact in attack

With 52 goals in 33 league games (average 1.58), the Cherries are only eleventh in the league and are not exactly among the Premier League’s most prolific teams. Nevertheless, Andoni Iraola’s team has only failed to score seven times, finding the back of the net in 79% of their games. At home, however, the rate is slightly weaker at “only” 75%. Considering the starting position, however, we find it difficult to imagine that the hosts will fail to score. Only a win counts in the game against the Red Devils, so we expect the home team to take more risks.

Bournemouth also solid defensively

However, it’s not just going well offensively, but also defensively, as the Cherries have conceded only 40 goals in 33 games (Ø 1.21), making them one of the best defenses in the league. In fact, only three teams have conceded fewer goals: Liverpool, Arsenal, and Nottingham Forest. Nevertheless, the home side have only kept eight clean sheets and have conceded at least one goal in 76% of their league games. At home, however, the rate is significantly better at only 62%. It cannot therefore be ruled out that the Red Devils will fail to score against Bournemouth. But more on that in the Manchester United team analysis.

Manchester United – Statistics & current form

Manchester United are having an alarmingly poor season, picking up just 38 points from 33 league games. This leaves Ruben Amorim’s side in 14th place, well adrift of the top half of the Premier League. The league has now become irrelevant for the visitors, so even against Bournemouth, one or two youngsters will be given a run-out. The focus is clearly on the Europa League semi-final, where the Red Devils face Athletic Bilbao on Thursday. We can therefore well imagine that the visitors will field a B team at the weekend. The coach has also hinted at this.

Manchester United are usually too harmless

In a league-wide comparison, the Red Devils’ offense is only in 15th place with 38 goals in 33 games (average 1.15), making them one of the weakest attacking teams in the league. In fact, only four relegated teams – Ipswich, Southampton, Leicester, and West Ham – have scored fewer goals. It is therefore no surprise that Ruben Amorim’s side have failed to score in 13 games and have found the net in only 61% of their league games. It cannot be ruled out that the visitors will remain goalless against Bournemouth. The Cherries should not be underestimated defensively.

Manchester United solid defensively

With 46 goals conceded in 33 PL games (Ø 1.39), the Red Devils’ defense is not bad, but not particularly good either. In a league-wide comparison, it is therefore only good enough for tenth place. For this reason, Ruben Amorim’s team has conceded at least one goal in 73% of their league games. But even that is not a bad record, as the visitors are among the better teams in the league with nine clean sheets. Away from home, the rate is even better at only 69%. So one thing is certain: we don’t usually see many goals in Manchester United games.

Bournemouth – Manchester United Head-to-head record / H2H record

Not necessarily, as the last three encounters have seen an average of 3.33 goals per game. However, another fact is much more interesting, as the Red Devils are currently waiting for a win against the Cherries after three games. In a direct comparison, however, the picture is different, as the home side have won only five of the 23 encounters, while the visitors have 14 wins. However, only the results from the recent past are really relevant. It is therefore completely understandable that the bookmakers are predicting a clear victory for the home team in Bournemouth vs. Manchester United.

Bournemouth – Manchester United Tip

We recommend the Bournemouth vs. Manchester United betting tip for a home win in combination with the Bet365 deposit bonus. Not only are the Cherries better at home than the Red Devils are away, but they have also been in better form in recent weeks. In addition, Andoni Iraola’s team still has a lot to play for, while the visitors are already focused on the Europa League semi-finals. Even if the visitors don’t rotate their squad, their performances so far don’t exactly suggest an away win. Therefore, we expect AFC to take all three points.

Alternatively, we also have Bournemouth vs. Manchester United betting odds for under 3.5 goals in the game. This is partly because both teams are very solid defensively and partly because the visitors are struggling in attack. Ruben Amorim’s team has failed to score in three of its last four league games.