Bournemouth go into Tuesday's EFL Cup third-round tie at the Vitality Stadium still waiting for their first win of the season. They have scored first in each of their three Premier League outings, but they have surrendered a lead in every match. Lincoln arrive with a different sort of confidence, having won three of their last four away matches.

Bournemouth's lead problem

The obvious concern for Bournemouth is not getting into games, it is holding them. The side have started brightly enough to score first in all three league matches, yet each one has slipped away from them in some fashion. That leaves this cup tie looking less like a routine rotation night and more like a test of whether they can stay organised when the game tilts in their favour.

Sports Mole's preview desk expects changes too, with Bournemouth likely to make a whole host of them before their Europa League clash against Real Sociedad on 17 September. That makes sense on schedule grounds, but it also gives Lincoln a cleaner route into the tie if Bournemouth's back line stays as shaky as it has been in the league.

Lincoln's away route into the tie

Lincoln have already shown they can handle the road in this competition. They reached this stage by beating Derby County 2-1 and Blackpool 4-1 away from home, and that is not the usual profile of a side arriving just to make up the numbers.

Their away record also gives them a real platform. Winning three of the last four on the road is strong enough on its own, and it fits the wider idea that this is a side capable of making Bournemouth work far harder than a home favourite would want in a third-round tie. The gap in status is there, but the challenge is not a soft one.

Bournemouth's best route is still to use the control that got them in front in each of their three league matches. If they do that and avoid another collapse, the fixture should open up in their favour before the European trip to Real Sociedad on 17 September.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →