AFC Bournemouth v West Ham United
Premier League, Vitality Stadium, Sunday 23 April 2023, 2pm BST
West Ham United's 2022/23 Premier League campaign continues with a trip to face AFC Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
David Moyes' side head to Dorset on a run of one defeat in the last nine games in all competitions, and with confidence rising after a midweek UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final win over KAA Gent and last weekend's resurgent 2-2 draw with Premier League leaders Arsenal.
The Irons kick-off the weekend 15th in the table, with 31 points from 30 games played, while the Cherries begin it 14th with two points more from 31 games played. A win would take the Londoners up a place, therefore, and they would rise to 13th should Wolverhampton Wanderers lose at Leicester City on Saturday.
The Cherries are managed by Gary O'Neil, the 39-year-old who was part of West Ham's promotion-winning team in 2011/12 and spent two-and-a-half seasons in Claret and Blue. He was appointed in August 2022 in succession to his former Hammers teammate Scott Parker.
Tickets...
Our 1,318 standard tickets for this fixture sold out to Bondholders and Season Ticket Holders with 62+ Loyalty Points.
For both Wheelchair Viewing Spaces and Accessible (AEA) seating, please call our Ticket Office Team on 0333 030 0174 or email [email protected]. All tickets are issued with a complimentary personal assistant.
How to Follow...
Sunday's 2pm kick-off will NOT be broadcast live in the UK, but will be shown across the world by the Premier League's international broadcast partners. If you live outside the UK, for details of listings in your territory, click here for full Premier League broadcast listings.
You can follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle.
Travel...
If you are driving head down the M3 motorway until you reach the M27 and travel westwards past Southampton, where the road becomes the A3, through the New Forest National Park and the small town of Ringwood to the junction with the A338.
Vitality Stadium is situated just off the A338, signposted Kings Park/Football Traffic. Take the first exit into Littledown Avenue, then the third exit into Harewood Avenue and then turn left and park at Avonbourne Academy, which is a ten-minute walk to the ground.
If you take a train from London Waterloo to Bournemouth Central, it is a 25-minute walk to Vitality Stadium, or alternatively take the Yellow Bus from stop 6. Adult bus tickets are priced at £4.20 each.
Click here to view our Over Land and Sea guide for travelling supporters.
Emergency Alert System test...
One thing travelling fans should bear in mind is that the Government will be conducting a nationwide test of the ‘Emergency Alert System’ at 3pm on Sunday.
The test alert will send a message and audible alert for up to ten seconds to every mobile phone or tablet in the country which reads: “This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life threatening emergency nearby. In an actual emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe. Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information. This is a test, you do not need to take action.
Team News...
David Moyes will be without Italy centre-forward Gianluca Scamacca, who underwent knee surgery last weekend.
Gary O'Neil will be without Ivory Coast midfielder Hamed Traorè (ankle) and has doubts over former Hammers Ryan Fredericks (lower leg) and Junior Stanislas (other), but could welcome back Uruguayan left-back Matías Viña (back).
Opposition...
After AFC Bournemouth were beaten 9-0 by Liverpool in August, the Cherries went six games unbeaten in the Premier League.
That run proved no fluke and Sunday's hosts have looked strong enough to retain their top-flight status under rookie manager Gary O'Neil, who has guided them to 33 points from 31 games played and wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Liverpool, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur in recent weeks.
Back in the top-flight for the 2022/23 season, the Dorset club’s first taste of Premier League football came in 2015. Under their former defender and current Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe, the Cherries journeyed from League Two to the top-flight in six years. In their first season in the Premier League, Bournemouth battled to survive relegation – a feat they repeated in the next four campaigns – in style, playing a buccaneering style.
They would, however, fall back to the second-tier. When relegation to the EFL Championship came in 2019/20 amid the COVID pandemic, it ended Howe’s stay at the club by mutual consent.
After an unsuccessful first attempt by Howe’s long-time assistant Jason Tindall, then a second by former England defender Jonathan Woodgate, Bournemouth achieved automatic promotion to the Premier League last summer. With Scott Parker at helm, the Cherries were triumphant in 25 league matches last season and finished second to Fulham, conceding the fewest goals in the division.
However, a poor start saw Bournemouth concede 16 goals in a three-game span in August and Parker depart, with coach O'Neil promoted to the top job. It was a decision the club's owners look to have got right.
Previous Meetings...
West Ham United meet AFC Bournemouth for the 12th time in the Premier League.
Each club has registered four victories each, with three draws, with West Ham scoring a 2-0 home win in the reverse fixture at London Stadium played in late October 2022.
The Irons took four points from the two meetings in the Cherries' most-recent season in the Premier League, 2019/20, including a 4-0 home win in David Moyes' first game of his second spell as manager on New Year's Day 2020.
Prior to the Premier League, West Ham overcame then-third tier Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic in the pair's first meeting, in the FA Cup fifth-round back in February 1929.
And the two clubs met in the old Second Division in 1989/90, when Harry Redknapp was Bournemouth manager, and the Londoners secured a League Cup third-round success over the Dorset club in October 1999.
Match Officials...
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Assistant Referees: Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn
Fourth official: Thomas Brammall
VAR: Andre Marriner
Assistant VAR: James Mainwaring
Born in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester in October 1978, Anthony Taylor has been a member of the Select Group of Referees since 2010.
Taylor started refereeing in the Northern Premier League from 2002 to 2004 before quickly working his way up through the National League and EFL to reach the Premier League in February 2010.
He refereed the EFL Cup final between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium in 2015 – the same year he was promoted to the FIFA List.
He later took charge of the 2015 FA Community Shield, 2017 and 2020 FA Cup finals, the 2018 Championship Play-Off final, the 2021 UEFA Super Cup final between Bayern Munich and Sevilla, the 2021 UEFA Nations League final between Spain and France and the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup final between Real Madrid and Al Hilal.
Taylor has refereed West Ham United on 33 previous occasions.
