Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe backs his side to subdue 'outstanding' Harry Kane in Tottenham clash at Wembley

  • Bournemouth managed to subdue in-form Jamie Vardy before internationals  
  • Eddie Howe challenged Cherries to repeat trick against Tottenham's Harry Kane 
  • He lauded England striker as 'outstanding' and one of the world's best players
  • Howe added: 'Goalscoring has been a problem this season, which isn't like us'

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has backed his players to keep 'outstanding' Tottenham forward Harry Kane quiet at Wembley on Saturday.

The Cherries head to the national stadium as domestic action resumes, looking to build on an encouraging goalless draw at home to Leicester and start moving up the table.

Howe's side managed to subdue Jamie Vardy before the break after the poacher netted three goals in his previous three appearances before a blank at the Vitality Stadium. But, after a barren August, Kane shows no signs of stalling.

Tottenham striker Harry Kane has been on fantastic form for club and country in recent weeks 

Tottenham striker Harry Kane has been on fantastic form for club and country in recent weeks 

Eddie Howe has called on his side to subdue the in-form goalscorer at Wembley 

Eddie Howe has called on his side to subdue the in-form goalscorer at Wembley 

The Spurs frontman took his tally to 15 for the season with the only goal in each of England's final World Cup qualifying victories over Slovenia and away to Lithuania which secured a place in Russia.


Howe accepts the 24-year-old is in sublime form, but is confident the Bournemouth defence will prove up to the challenge again. 

'I have obviously watched Harry closely in the last few weeks and his performances have been outstanding,' Howe said at a press conference.

HARRY KANE'S RED HOT FORM  

PL games in bold:  

Malta 0-4 England - 2 goals

England 2-1 Slovakia - 0 goals

Everton 0-3 Tottenham - 2 goals

Tottenham 3 - 1 Dortmund - 2 goals

Tottenham 0-0 Swansea - 0 goals

West Ham 2-3 Tottenham - 2 goals

Apoel Nicosia 0-3 Tottenham - 3 goals

Huddersfield 0-4 Tottenham - 2 goals

Lithuania 0-1 England - 1 goal 

England 1-0 Slovenia - 1 goal 

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'Someone who does as well as Harry does consistently, when his desire doesn't change from game to game, has earned the right to be compared to the top players in the world.

'(But) we kept Jamie Vardy quiet, who is another good striker, in our last game and if we can do that again then we will be happy.'

Bournemouth forward Jermain Defoe is determined to be on the plane to Russia, but the 35-year-old knows he must produce the goods consistently in the Premier League, with only one goal so far.

Howe, though, is not overly concerned by his team's collective drop in strike rate, having netted just four times in the Premier League from seven matches so far this season.

Howe labelled Kane as one of the world's best due to his consistency every game 

Howe labelled Kane as one of the world's best due to his consistency every game 

Season at a glance

  • Premier League
  • Premier League
  • Championship
  • League One
  • League Two
  • Scottish Premiership
  • Scottish Div 1
  • Scottish Div 2
  • Scottish Div 3
  • Ligue 1
  • Serie A
  • La Liga
  • Bundesliga

'Goalscoring has been a problem for us this season, which isn't like us, but hopefully we can turn that round from now on,' Howe told the club's official website.

'When you look at Jermain Defoe, he has had big chances in all the games and when you look at his career if he gets those chances he will score.

'It is a team problem and I back Jermain to score a lot of goals for us in the future.'

Howe added: 'We are almost there in terms of getting consistent results. The problem at the start was that the performances weren't there, but we have improved now and that gives us confidence.'

Spurs have yet to win a Premier League match since moving into Wembley as White Hart Lane undergoes redevelopment.

The Bournemouth boss also backed Jermain Defoe to recapture his form in front of goal 

The Bournemouth boss also backed Jermain Defoe to recapture his form in front of goal 

Howe hopes the Bournemouth players will be able to produce the required work-rate, irrespective of the stage.

'We have to treat it as we are playing Tottenham, and prepare to play them, not the venue, that is not important,' he said.

'From our perspective, the bigger the crowd and the bigger the game, they are the type of occasions I hope the players will relish - but it is all about the performance for me.'