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Key events
Bournemouth make three changes to the team that started the 2-1 win at Arsenal this time last weekend. Antoine Semenyo, Alex Scott and captain Adam Smith return to the starting line-up; Julián Araujo and Justin Kluivert drop to the bench, while Dango Ouattara is injured.
Aston Villa make four changes after their 1-0 victory over Fulham last Saturday. Tyrone Mings, Jacob Ramsey, Lucas Digne and Amadou Onana are back; Pau Torres, Ian Maatsen and captain John McGinn drop to the bench, while last weekend’s goalscoring hero Youri Tielemans is out for the season.
The teams
Preamble
This week we’ve seen the joy† that European competition can bring. So you can bet your bottom dollar that both of these clubs will fancy a slice of that sweet Uefa pie next season. As things stood at the start of the day – and we’ll re-evaluate when the 3pms have finished – Aston Villa are good for the Conference League, while eighth-placed Bournemouth are out of the qualification spots. But Villa are still within striking distance of a place in the Champions League next season, while eighth could be good enough for the Cherries providing Manchester City win the FA Cup and Newcastle remain in the top six. So it’s all to play for this evening at Dean Court. Kick-off is at 5.30pm BST. It’s on!
† Well, that and the gut-wrenching misery, but Arsenal have had it rough of late so let’s leave them to lick their wounds in peace.
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