Getting back to winning ways against high-flying Liverpool on Sunday is going to be a difficult task, but with the return of Jack Wilshere, Bournemouth will have a much better chance of doing just that. The south coast side were dealt a 3-1 loss by Arsenal last weekend but they will take positives -- of which there were many -- from their decent performance at the Emirates. If they tighten up the defence and use Wilshere effectively, a similar result against Jurgen Klopp's travelling team is far less likely.
One Bournemouth player who is familiar with this weekend's opposition is Brad Smith, who signed from Liverpool in the summer. Smith made his Premier League debut for the Cherries against Arsenal and he will be lucky to be included in the team this week after a poor performance. He was involved in a couple of exciting attacking moves but he was issued a yellow card, was substituted off and was largely to blame for the Gunners' second goal. He offered no more defensive reliability in the left-back position than Charlie Daniels and due to his lack of Premier League experience, he's likely to be on the bench against the Reds.
However, the Australia international did state his new club are "growing enormously" in the week and it's hard to disagree with him. Prizing Wilshere from the Emirates and Jordon Ibe from Anfield is testament to the club's new and respected stature.
One problem with Bournemouth at the moment -- as Callum Wilson stated himself -- is the lack of cutting edge and it wouldn't be out the realms of possibility to see the Cherries land another high-profile player in the shape of Daniel Sturridge in January. If Bournemouth are to continue growing, as Smith suggests, the Liverpool striker is exactly the sort of acquisition the club need to make.
Sturridge is an England international, isn't first choice with his club and has a poor injury record. This is a description that described Wilshere perfectly in the summer, and since arriving on the south coast, the Arsenal loanee has not only put his fitness issues to one side but found some superb form and reclaimed his England position.
Eddie Howe has proved so far with Wilshere that he can help improve struggling players of the highest quality and Sturridge could be another that could use some of his treatment. He has a fantastic goal scoring record and if Klopp does decide to let him go -- which is definitely possible -- joining Bournemouth could be a very realistic and attractive option.
But before then, Wilson and fellow strike partner Benik Afobe have the task of firing the Cherries up the league table. The former may have scored against Arsenal, but it was from the penalty spot and just his fourth of the season; while Afobe is also still yet to bag a goal himself. With the inclusion of Wilshere in this weekend's line up, goals are more likely, but the Cherries need to find more of the attacking power they forced upon Hull on Oct. 15 as their recent record of three goals in their past five games simply isn't good enough. Making simple adjustments, such as putting Junior Stanislas on corners rather than centre-back Simon Francis, could be all it takes.
The numbers defensively aren't much better either with seven goals conceded in these past five games, with the club winning just one of those fixtures. Performances have been good enough to satisfy fans and critics, but on paper these statistics suggest Bournemouth are not playing well enough to definitely avoid relegation. Four points separate them and 18th place Hull, and while it's still early on, the possibility of dropping down a division is still a present thought. These performances need to be turned into points quickly.
Whatever the result this weekend, the game serves as another reminder of the club's monumental success during the past few years and marks Howe's 300th game since being named permanent manager. He took over when they were facing a 17-point deduction and relegation from League 2 in 2009. Seven years on and he's now preparing his side to host Liverpool in the Premier League. It will be a day to savour for all involved at the club and another celebration of how far they've come since his arrival. Three points and a position in the top 10 in the Premier League come Sunday afternoon would simply be the icing on yet another cake.