Sports Mole previews Saturday’s friendly clash between Wrexham and Bournemouth, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
The Harder Stadium in California hosts Bournemouth‘s first friendly of the pre-season period, as the Cherries pit their wits against League One new boys Wrexham in Santa Barbara.
The Cherries will also square off against Arsenal during their transatlantic trip, while the third-tier outfit have already played one exhibition game this summer, thumping Hanley Town 5-1.
Match preview
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Bournemouth’s cut-throat decision to give Gary O’Neil the boot was met with condemnation and bewilderment by many, but the ex-Cherries coach quickly regained Premier League employment with Wolverhampton Wanderers as the Andoni Iraola revolution at the Vitality Stadium took shape.
The Spaniard led Bournemouth to a respectable 12th-placed finish in the top flight with 48 points, their highest points total in any Premier League season, although three straight losses to Arsenal, Brentford and Chelsea at the end of the season prevented them from hitting the 50-mark.
Nevertheless, the board were satisfied enough with Iraola’s work to reward the head coach with a new two-year contract down south, as the Cherries made their mark in front of goal, including in their astonishing 4-3 comeback win over Luton Town, one of the most incredible games the Premier League will ever see.
Now competing in their third straight season of top-flight football, Bournemouth have a quartet of pre-season friendlies pencilled into the diary, as they will head to Dignity Health Sports Park to meet Premier League rivals Arsenal four days after their Wrexham encounter.
Upon their return to home soil, the South Coast outfit will then host a pair of Spanish opponents in Rayo Vallecano – Iraola’s former side – and Girona, prior to opening their new top-flight season with a stopover at Nottingham Forest on August 17.
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As Bournemouth prepare for a third successive season of Premier League action, Hollywood-owned Wrexham endeavour to earn a third straight promotion, having followed up their National League escape with a League Two podium finish in 2023-24.
While Phil Parkinson‘s men could not replicate their title-winning feats of 2022-23 as Stockport County topped the standings, they finished just four points adrift of the League Two champions to shoot up to the third tier with them, also finishing two clear of Mansfield Town in third place.
Whether Wrexham can translate their terrific League Two exploits into an eye-catching set of results in League One only time shall tell, but Parkinson’s men started pre-season as they mean to go on by putting five past Northern Premier League outfit Hanley last weekend.
That triumph marked their sixth on the bounce across competitive and non-competitive matches, during which time they have scored at least two goals on each occasion, but clashes with Bournemouth, Chelsea and the Vancouver Whitecaps during their North America tour will certainly threaten that sequence.
Following their sojourn to the land of their celebrity co-chairmen, Wrexham finalise their League One preparations against Fleetwood Town on August 3, before hosting Wycombe Wanderers in their first League One test of 2024-25.
Wrexham friendly form:
Team News
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A handful of Bournemouth Copa America and Euro 2024 representatives are enjoying belated summer holidays and should not be available just yet, including Tyler Adams (USA), Luis Sinisterra (Colombia), Ilya Zabarnyi (Ukraine), Milos Kerkez (Hungary) and Ryan Christie (Scotland), although the latter three were all eliminated in the group stage and could return imminently.
The Cherries were also forced to wave goodbye to defender Lloyd Kelly, who made the move to Newcastle United on a free transfer, while Enes Unal withdrew from the Turkey squad from the Euros due to injury and will need assessing too.
However, Bournemouth have added ex-Sheffield United prospect Daniel Jebbison to their attacking ranks this summer, and the club also look set to keep hold of Dominic Solanke following his 19-goal Premier League campaign.
As for Wrexham, a plethora of players have both entered and exited the revolving doors at the Racecourse Ground, where ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo has signed permanently following a successful loan spell.
Parkinson’s side have also poached Lewis Brunt from Leicester City and Sebastian Revan from Aston Villa, but prolific centre-forward Paul Mullin was not involved in the demolition of Hanley last weekend and is also out of the USA Tour as he recovers from a back operation.
Wrexham possible starting lineup:
Okonkwo; Bolton, Boyle, O’Connell, McClean; Jones, Dobson, Edwards, Lee; Palmer, Dalby
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Neto; Smith, Mepham, Senesi, Aarons; Cook, Scott; Semenyo, Billing, Tavernier; Solanke
We say: Wrexham 1-2 Bournemouth
Despite both sides’ standings in the English football pyramid, a goal-happy Wrexham should have no qualms about taking the game to an out-of-practice Bournemouth side in California.
It is not impossible to envisage Parkinson’s men taking the lead, but once Iraola’s men hit their stride and things begin to click in attack, the Cherries should emerge triumphant.
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