Context and form — a tight Premier League tussle at Hill Dickinson Stadium
Everton welcome AFC Bournemouth to the Hill Dickinson Stadium on 10 February in what promises to be a competitive Premier League fixture. Both sides sit in mid-table with Everton eighth on 37 points and Bournemouth close behind in 11th with 34, and recent results underline how unpredictable this clash can be. Everton arrive off a morale-boosting 2-1 win away at Fulham, while Bournemouth were held to a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa. Their head-to-head this season already went Everton’s way, a 1-0 win in December, so there is an extra layer of familiarity between the teams heading into round 26.
Styles, strengths and where the goals might come from
Statistically this is an intriguing matchup. Bournemouth score at a higher clip — 41 goals in the season so far — but they also concede a worrying 44, suggesting their matches often feature chances and goals at both ends. Everton are more modest in attack with 28 goals, and their defensive record is closer to even, 28 conceded, yet they’ve shown resilience away from home recently with a visit to Fulham ending in three points. Bournemouth’s numbers point to an open approach: higher averages for total shots (341) and shots on target (124), and a 60% rate for games finishing over 2.5 goals. Everton’s home stats reveal less prolific finishing but a respectable number of clean sheets (9), indicating they can shut teams down — but not always against a side that presses forward like Bournemouth.
The recent form strings underline the likelihood of goals. Bournemouth’s last ten results show three wins and five draws, and an appetite for fixtures that swing either way. Everton’s run is mixed but includes meaningful victories away from home. With both teams posting BTTS percentages around the mid-40s to low-50s for their matches, the balance of probability leans toward an open contest where both defenses could be tested.
What the market says
Bookmakers make Everton the slight favorite at 2.32 with Bournemouth trading around 2.95 and the draw at 3.35. Those odds reflect the narrow gap in quality and recent performances and hint at value in markets other than a straight match-winner, especially given Bournemouth’s attacking tendencies and Everton’s occasional defensive fragility.
For readers looking to sharpen their own approach to picking markets, the piece on Soccer betting tips and the choice of markets is a useful primer on matching market selection to game profiles, while maintaining discipline during runs of results can be practised with advice like How to have emotional control when placing bets?
Betting suggestion (goal market)
Based on the numbers — Bournemouth’s high goal involvement and Everton’s mixture of clean sheets and conceded goals, combined with both teams’ BTTS tendencies and Bournemouth’s 60% over 2.5 rate — the clearest value sits in the goal markets. The recommendation is to back Over 2.5 goals. Expect an open game with chances at both ends; Over 2.5 captures the likely flow and offers stronger value than the narrow 1X2 prices on a match that could realistically tilt either way.
