Rejuvenated Bournemouth have won five of their past seven league games against top-three sides but they are winless in six matches against Saturday's high-flying visitors Aston Villa (15:00 GMT).
Villa won the reverse fixture 4-0 and are vying to complete their first league double over Bournemouth. Nonetheless, the Villans are experiencing a domestic dip in form, taking just seven points from six matches.
Kroupi becoming cornerstone of rebuilt Bournemouth
It has been a curious season so far for Bournemouth. They were second in the table after nine matches but then went 11 without a win before recovering to earn 10 points from their past four league fixtures.
Their recent upturn has come despite the £62.5m sale of Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City, who became the sixth key departure from the side which ended last season with a club record Premier League points total.
Amid the team rebuild, one player who has come to the fore is Junior Kroupi. Plucked a year ago from Lorient in the French second division, where he stayed on loan until last summer, the 19-year-old forward has steadily made himself indispensable.
Kroupi has been nominated for the Premier League's Player of the Month award for January, during which he scored three goals in five games – including a 20-yard strike against Arsenal and superb half-volley to put Bournemouth ahead at Wolves last weekend.
The £10m signing has made four Premier League starts in a row for the first time, playing as a support striker behind Evanilson, and his eight goals this season are the second most by a teenager in Europe's top five leagues behind Lamine Yamal of Barcelona.
Kroupi also has the best minutes-per-goal ratio of anyone to score more than once in the Premier League this term, as well as the best shot conversion rate – finding the net with 38% of his attempts on goal.
Misfiring Villa in need of an attacking spark
A run of three defeats in six league games, coupled with long-term injuries to three key midfielders, has perhaps recalibrated Aston Villa's credentials. Though being third in the table is certainly no fluke – Villa have consistently shown top-four form since Unai Emery's arrival in late 2022 – they are unable to match the star quality and squad depth of the teams around them.
They were excellent just a fortnight ago in beating Newcastle at St James’ Park, but have now lost back-to-back home league games, latterly against 10-man Brentford.
The controversially disallowed goal for Tammy Abraham, back at the club for a second spell, last Sunday means Aston Villa have failed to score in three of their past four top-flight matches. Neither did they particularly trouble the opposition defence in any of those three games.
Emery predominantly brought in attacking players during the January transfer window, including recalling winger Leon Bailey from a loan spell at Roma, and he will be eager for them to redress a startling fact – Aston Villa are the only team without a Premier League goal this season from any of their 2025-26 signings.
