Brentford and Bournemouth will aim to continue their push for a top-half finish when they lock horns at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.
The 2024/25 Premier League season will resume this weekend with Gameweek 11 on Saturday. The latest round of fixtures will kick off with four simultaneous games, including Brentford vs Bournemouth at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Brentford’s form has slipped in recent weeks, with the Bees losing two of their last three Premier League games. The latest setback came in a 2-1 defeat to Fulham, with the defeat dropping Thomas Frank’s charges to 12th in the standings after factoring in other results in Gameweek 10.
As for Bournemouth, they were slightly slow off the blocks in the 2024/25 season, although they enjoyed a better start than the 2023/24 Premier League campaign. However, the Cherries have picked up form in the last few weeks, winning three of their last five top-flight outings to enter the top half of the table. The victories include two big scalps, with Andoni Iraola’s men beating Arsenal and Manchester City.
The corresponding fixture last season was a see-saw battle that ended in a 2-2 draw between Brentford and Bournemouth, with Bryan Mbeumo salvaging a point for the home side with an injury-time strike. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Brentford
Thomas Frank does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Brentford manager will be bereft of the services of five first-team players vs Bournemouth on Saturday.
The defensive unit has an injury crisis, with Igor Thiago (knee), Aaron Hickey (hamstring), Rico Henry (knee), Joshua Dasilva (knee), and Gustavo Nunes (lower back) remaining on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Frank has been sweating over the fitness of Kristoffer Ajer (foot), although the versatile defender should be available this weekend.
Mark Flekken is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Brentford lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Bournemouth on Saturday. The backline should feature Sepp van den Berg, Nathan Collins, Ethan Pinnock, and Kristoffer Ajer.
As for the midfield unit, Christian Norgaard will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park, with Mikkel Damsgaard and Vitaly Janelt providing the creative impetus. Finally, Yoane Wissa will lead the line for Brentford against Bournemouth, with Keane Lewis-Potter and Bryan Mbeumo being the wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Flekken; van den Berg, Collins, Pinnock, Ajer; Damsgaard, Norgaard, Janelt; Mbeumo, Wissa, Lewis-Potter
Bournemouth
Unlike his counterpart in the Brentford dugout, Andoni Iraola has greeted a positive update on the team news front of the trip to the Gtech Community Stadium. The Bournemouth manager will be without three first-team players.
Kepa Arrizabalaga is fit and available after recovering from a groin injury. So, only three players remain on the sidelines, with Alex Scott (knee), Luis Sinisterra (hamstring), and Dango Ouattara (groin) unavailable for the foreseeable future.
Kepa will return between the sticks for Bournemouth, and the Cherries will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Brentford on Saturday. The backline should feature Adam Smith, Illia Zabarnyi, Marcos Senesi, and Milos Kerkez.
As for the midfield unit, Ryan Christie and Lewis Cook should pair up in the double pivot. Justin Kluivert will reprise the no. 10 role, with Antoine Semenyo and Marcus Tavernier being the two wide attackers. Finally, Evanilson should lead the line for Bournemouth against Brentford this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Christie, Cook; Semenyo, Kluivert, Tavernier; Evanilson
Key Stats
- Since losing in the EFL Championship in 2014, Brentford are unbeaten in seven Premier League games vs Bournemouth (W5 D2). The Bees are the only team the Cherries have played in the Premier League without winning (D2 L2).
- Brentford have the best home record in the division this season, winning four matches and drawing one. However, they have lost all five away fixtures. The Bees have dropped 14 points from winning positions this term, a league-high tally.
- Bournemouth’s tally of 15 points after ten games is their second-best start to a Premier League season, behind only 2018/19, a campaign when they had 20 at the same stage. However, they have won just three of their last 15 away league matches (D4 L8).
- Brentford are one of only two teams, along with Wolverhampton Wanderers, yet to keep a clean sheet this season.
- Bryan Mbeumo is only one short of his best tally of nine goals in a Premier League season. The Cameroonian international can become the fifth player in Premier League history to score in each of his side’s six opening home matches of a campaign, emulating Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand, Thierry Henry and Mohamed Salah.
Player to Watch
Evanilson
Brentford and Bournemouth have enjoyed a solid start to their Premier League campaigns, with star wide attackers driving the push for their teams’ objectives. However, both sides have seen their strikers underdeliver. Among those, while Yoane Wissa was an option for this section, we have picked Evanilson as our Player to Watch.
The Brazilian striker arrived in England with a solid reputation after his exploits for FC Porto but has not been prolific thus far for Bournemouth. While Evanilson has shown flashes of brilliance, he has managed only three goals in his nine Premier League outings. The 25-year-old must step up to take the burden off Antoine Semenyo, with Bournemouth currently over-dependent on the Ghanaian international.
Prediction
Brentford 2-2 Bournemouth
Saturday’s match pits two teams that have tremendous attacking prowess while also having unfulfilled potential. In addition, both sides have had their defensive deficiencies, and they should produce a riveting affair at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Antoine Semenyo and Bryan Mbeumo should deliver the goods again, but it will not be surprising to see Evanilson and Yoane Wissa make their mark. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw between Brentford and Bournemouth on Saturday.
