Bournemouth vs. Southampton – FA Cup, March 20, 2021

The FA Cup quarter-finals get underway on Saturday, March 20, with south coast rivals Bournemouth and Southampton kicking things off at the Vitality Stadium.

The Cherries are pushing for promotion in the Championship, while the Saints are struggling in the Premier League. Given the current form of both sides, this is likely to be a closely-fought encounter.

After looking at the odds, I will share my Bournemouth vs. Southampton FA Cup prediction and betting pick.

It is hardly surprising that 10bet views the EPL team as the favorite to win this one. Southampton (2.00) is expected to advance from this tie, but I don’t think that is a foregone conclusion.

The price for the Bournemouth win (3.75) is very attractive here, as is the price for draw (3.25). But can the Championship side upset the odds?

Let’s take a closer look at the teams.

Bournemouth’s route to the FA Cup quarter-finals:

As you can see, Bournemouth’s 2020/21 FA Cup campaign began with a couple of easy fixtures against lower-league opponents, with straightforward wins over Oldham and Crawley.

The Cherries were tested by EPL side Burnley in the previous round. However, they passed that test with flying colors, thanks to goals from Sam Surridge and Junior Stanislas.

Bournemouth suffered a tricky spell in the Championship after the turn of the year, although the team’s results – and performances – have improved of late. Jonathan Woodgate’s men have only lost three of their last ten league games, recording five wins and two draws in the process.

The Cherries proved they are back to their best by crushing third-place Swansea City 3-0 on Tuesday. The Swans are pushing for automatic promotion from the second tier, yet Woodgate’s men made light work of their promotion rivals.

With a two-point gap between them and the playoff places, the Cherries will be confident of beating struggling Southampton.

Southampton’s route to the FA Cup quarter-finals:

If you only looked at Southampton’s FA Cup results this season, you could be forgiven for thinking that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side is enjoying a successful campaign.

After getting past lowly Shrewsbury, the Saints knocked out reigning FA Cup champion Arsenal, before seeing off fellow EPL side Wolves in the previous round.

But one glance at the Premier League table and it’s clear that Southampton is struggling.

Following a dismal run of two wins in 17 EPL games, the Saints find themselves in danger of getting sucked into the relegation battle. Worse still, they have lost ten of their previous 12 league outings – conceding a whopping 32 goals in that time (over 2.5 goals per game).

I’m sure that Hasenhuttl would love his team to go all the way in the FA Cup. However, pressure will be on him to prioritize EPL safety over the Cup this season, that’s for sure.

The Saints have used the FA Cup as a welcome break from their Premier League struggles this term. But given how poorly they have been performing in the EPL recently, I can see Bournemouth getting the better of them on Saturday.

Having won three of their last five matches, the Cherries seem to be over their mid-season blip. At the tasty price of 3.75, I’m backing Bournemouth to win this one.