Talking points ahead of AFC Bournemouth v Fulham

The two clubs were promoted together from the Championship last season, but have had very different campaigns.

While Cherries changed their manager early in the season, Fulham have impressed under Marco Silva and sit in the top half of the Premier League table.

They head to the south coast 10 places and 15 points better off than Cherries.

Here is a look at some of the factors which could come into play today.

Dominic Solanke’s record against Fulham

It has been a tough time in front of goal for Dominic Solanke.

Prolific in the Championship, Cherries’ starting striker is now on a run of 10 top-flight matches without a goal, culminating in a big miss last time out in the 3-0 loss at Aston Villa.

Solanke has notched just four goals this term, only three coming in the Premier League, the last of which before the World Cup.

But something which could spark the 25-year-old into life is his impressive record against today’s opponents.

Solanke has netted in each of his past three fixtures against Fulham, earning Cherries three draws in the process.

He netted via the memorable kick-off routine at Craven Cottage last season, before a dramatic last-gasp penalty in the reverse fixture in April.

Then, earlier this campaign, Solanke netted at the Cottage again, also providing an assist in a 2-2 draw.

Boss Gary O’Neil name-checked Solanke as somebody the coaches had managed to get “good work” into during the recent international break.

Asked if his good recent goalscoring record against Fulham could be the sort of thing to spark the one-time England international back into life, boss Gary O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “I think so. I would imagine centre-forwards look at things like that, who they’ve had success against in the past.

“Sometimes you have a feel-good factor against certain teams or at certain grounds.

“The good work with Dom recently has also been getting him in areas where he has managed to have some chances recently.

“The one against Newcastle late on, the chance at Wolves, a situation at Arsenal. I think he’s had some real, good chances.

“So I’m really confident with Dom that if we keep getting him in the right areas, he’ll start to put them away.

“I think sometimes you can go through spells, as strikers the margins are very small, especially at that end of the pitch.

“I’m extremely confident that between now and the end of the season Dom will have some huge moments for us. There’s been some decent work done and he’s looking sharp.”

No Mitrovic for Fulham

In contrast, Fulham will be without their star striker.

Aleksandar Mitrovic was sent off after shoving referee Chris Kavanagh during the club’s last match, an FA Cup quarter-final loss at Manchester United.

The Serbia international could be facing a lengthy ban, but will miss at least three games, starting today.

Mitrovic has scored 11 goals in 21 Premier League appearances this season, more than double any of his teammates, having bagged 43 in the Championship last term.

In the six league games Fulham have been without Mitrovic already this season, they have won two, drawn one and lost three.

• Fulham boss Silva will be on the touchline at Cherries despite red card

Winger Willian is also suspended, having been sent off at Old Trafford for a deliberate handball.

"They've got a fantastic squad,” said O’Neil, when asked about Fulham’s key absentees.

“They added well in the summer to what was already a strong group. They'll replace those two with very good footballers.

“They're a very strong team. I think if (Carlos) Vinícius comes in, or whether they decide to use somebody else as the nine will still be a real threat.”

Zabarnyi could debut

This afternoon could see the long-awaited Cherries debut of Illia Zabarnyi.

The highly-rated centre-back is one of Cherries’ most expensive ever purchases, arriving for a reported £24million from Dynamo Kyiv in January.

However, Cherries fans are yet to see him in action, after he injured his ankle shortly prior to joining the club.

• Tavernier and Zabarnyi available for Fulham clash after injury

Two months on, the 20-year-old is fit again and available to feature. Whether Zabarnyi starts against Fulham remains to be seen, with the likes of Marcos Senesi, Jack Stephens and Chris Mepham in direct competition, but he is set to be named in the matchday squad.

Asked if there would be a risk in throwing a young centre-back into action at this point in the season, O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “The biggest consideration with Illia is the fact he came from a club that were in a mid-season winter break, a long break.

“So he has that break already and then he has an injury issue. The last time he played a real competitive game of football or a real run of games is a long time ago, I think maybe December.

“So he’s had a long spell without playing competitive football. Then there’s the adaption to the Premier League, so there’s a lot to consider with Illia obviously.

“And then also the fact that he’s a real talent and was brought to the football club because we believe he can help us.

“There’s a lot to weigh up and I’m sure we’ll get the decision right when it’s Illia, when it should be someone else. It’s good that we have so many options.”

O’Neil added: “Will he be big for us in the short-term? He definitely will. I expect him to play a big part.

“I can tell you by the way he works, he has an incredible attitude. The way he applies himself to everything.

“You can ask him and he’d say ‘yeah, I’m desperate to get up to speed’ and everybody would say that.

“But when you see him work, even in the individual stuff that he had to do on his own to get fit, he’s pushing himself extremely hard to get himself ready, because he wants to have an impact as soon as he can.

“He’s put in a lot of hard work and good for him that he’s ready to go now.”

Bouncing back from Villa loss

After facing title challengers back-to-back in Manchester City and Arsenal, losing 4-1 and 3-2, Cherries recovered to beat Liverpool 1-0 at Vitality Stadium.

But from that huge high, they fell to a 3-0 loss at Aston Villa before the international break, after a flat performance.

That all leaves Cherries 19th in the table, one point from safety with 11 games to play.

“Maybe playing three of the biggest sides consecutively can take a lot out of the lads,” admitted O’Neil.

“There’s a lot that needs to be done, even tactically and focus wise. Playing against Manchester City for 90 minutes can be hard work, then you go to the Emirates and it’s the same again, you’re up against it again and you need to be really diligent mentally and then also the physical task.

“And then also the big effort against Liverpool. So maybe the lads started a little bit slowly against Aston Villa and maybe the efforts that went into the three before played some part in it.

“So having a chance to reset (in the international break). Obviously some of the lads have travelled a long way and come back late, so that’s not ideal.

“We need to monitor how they are and how well they can perform, but in general, the lads have had a real good little break and they know what is expected now in a real busy few weeks.”

How do you see today’s game with Fulham going and what could decide the match? Put your thoughts in the comments section below.