By OkayGoal
Bournemouth have won five in a row by an aggregate of 14-0, and on Saturday they welcome a Leeds United side that has made a habit of drawing.
Marco Rose had a hard start to life at the Vitality Stadium, failing to win any of his side’s first six league games. Then came 3-0 wins over AC Milan, Manchester United at Old Trafford and Aston Villa inside six days.
That run has lifted the Cherries to 13th, only two points behind seventh-placed Leeds. Both sides drew 2-2 twice last season, with Sean Longstaff scoring a 97th-minute equaliser on the South Coast in April.
Bournemouth vs Leeds kickoff
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2026
Kick-off: 3pm UK time
Venue: Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
Bournemouth vs Leeds team news
Bournemouth team news
The big news is Alex Toth. The 20-year-old midfielder’s substitute appearance against AC Milan was cut short and he has missed the two games since, and Rose has now confirmed it is serious.
He said: “We will still assess Totty but I am sorry about him and for him, because we are going to miss him a little bit longer. It’s a huge muscle injury. We just assess the situation, how we handle it, but he is going to be out for some months, I think.”
Alex Scott (thigh) and Julian Araujo (thigh) also miss out, and Rose has not yet decided whether to bring Scott back before the international break. Veljko Milosavljevic (knee) is a doubt after playing for the Under-21s this week. That leaves Ryan Christie, Tyler Adams and Lewis Cook as the main central midfield options.
Eli Junior Kroupi is available after a lengthy lay-off but is not ready to start, so we expect Evanilson to lead the line with Marcus Tavernier, Justin Kluivert and Rayan behind him.
Leeds United team news
Mateo Joseph (knee) and Joe Rodon (hamstring) are out, while Anton Stach is struggling with a foot problem and will be assessed before kick-off.
Nico Elvedi has recovered from illness and should push for a start alongside Tarik Muharemovic and James Justin, possibly at the expense of Jaka Bijol. We expect Noah Okafor to be fit to start next to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with Harry Wilson in an advanced role if Stach misses out.
Bournemouth vs Leeds pre-match tactical analysis
Bournemouth’s depth was the story on Wednesday. Rose made eight changes for the Carabao Cup tie with Villa and still won 3-0, with Amine Adli, Cook and Alvaro Rodriguez on target to set up a quarter-final against Liverpool.
They are bidding to win three league matches in a row without conceding for the first time. The warning sign is home form: just two wins in their last 11 top-flight games at the Vitality (D8 L1).
Leeds are hard to read and harder to break down. Only champions Arsenal (five) have conceded fewer league goals than their six, and summer signing James Trafford has the division’s best save percentage at 82.4% and the second-most saves with 30.
The trouble is at the other end. Daniel Farke’s side have not won in four league games since beating Newcastle 4-1 on September 14 (D3 L1), including last Sunday’s 0-0 at Sunderland. They have drawn 14 league games this calendar year, five of them goalless, the most 0-0s of any top-flight team in 2026. They have not won away in the league since the opening weekend at Nottingham Forest.
Farke expects a tough game, but believes his side can trouble anyone if they hold a high intensity and stay relentless across the 90 minutes.
Bournemouth vs Leeds key players
Evanilson
Four goals in his last five games. With Kroupi not ready to start, he has the chance to keep his run going against one of the league’s meanest defences.
James Trafford
If Leeds take something from this, it will probably run through their goalkeeper. Those numbers are the reason they have stayed in seventh without winning much lately.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
He has failed to score in his last three visits to the Vitality Stadium, and his form is attracting outside attention, so a goal here would be well timed.
Bournemouth vs Leeds predicted lineups
Bournemouth predicted lineup: Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Silva, Truffert; Adams, Cook; Rayan, Kluivert, Tavernier; Evanilson
Leeds United predicted lineup: Trafford; Justin, Elvedi, Muharemovic; Bogle, Ampadu, Tanaka, Gudmundsson; Wilson, Okafor; Calvert-Lewin
Bournemouth vs Leeds prediction
The last four league meetings between these two have produced 20 goals, so this should be more open than Leeds’ recent results suggest. Both clubs have made a habit of drawing in 2026, but we are backing the Cherries to keep their momentum going. Prediction: Bournemouth 2-1 Leeds United.