Bournemouth welcome Aston Villa in Premier League bow

Bournemouth welcome Aston Villa in their maiden Premier League match, and the Cherries are 21/20 with Coral to secure what is a very possible victory.

The last time the two sides met was in the FA Cup last season, which Villa edged in a cagey 2-1 victory.

Goals from Andreas Weimann and Carles Gil that day secured the win, with Cherries striker Callum Wilson’s last minute goal by that stage proving to be merely a consolation. Although Austrian attacker Weimann has dropped down a division by joining Derby County, Gil – a fringe player under Tim Sherwood – is 6/1 in the anytime market.

Young Wilson, meanwhile, has shown sensational scoring returns in the Football League, and is 5/1 to strike first on his Premier League bow for Eddie Howe.

It will be interesting to see how visitors Villa line up after a busy summer, with Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph among the key departures, while Sherwood brought in several players all of whom are making a step up.

Jordan Ayew is an exciting prospect, and the Ghana attacker holds anytime odds of 15/8. Villa fans can expect a player with raw ability who can score from long range, but also causes trouble in the box.

A player who spent the second half of last term on loan at the club could be the one to take a chance on however, after, and immediately after signing permanently in the summer, Scott Sinclair proceeded to repay Sherwood’s faith to subsequently go on to be the form player in pre-season. The wily winger is 11/4 in the anytime market, and 14/1 to score two or more.

For a repeat of the same scoreline from last time out, punters can get 12/1 though it will be a rocking atmosphere on the south coast and the hosts are likely to make it hard for Sherwood’s side.

Talented Bournemouth boss Howe is one of the brightest young English managers in the game, and will hope to make an impact as quickly as possible. Speaking about new signing Lee Tomlin, Howe feels he can make a real impact on his side’s attacking options.

“We are very pleased to have signed him,” Howe said. “He’s somebody that we’ve looked at, played against and admired for a really long time. I thought he was excellent in the two games against us last year.

“He’s a player of real ability and will add something different to our squad. He is very creative and with him our attacking options look very strong now.”

Meanwhile, Howe must also decide who to partner Wilson in attack between Tokelo Rantie and Joshua King, with both 7/4 to net anytime. Max Gradel and Matt Ritchie could flank the Cherries frontman as a forward three, while Tomlin will also target a start.

Coral’s top tip: Sinclair to score anytime @ 11/4