Bournemouth will look to strengthen their position inside the top half of the table when they host Brentford in their final home game of the season.
Vitality Stadium is all set to play host to a fixture between Brentford and Bournemouth, where both teams will be eager to return to winning ways. They ended up playing a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture at the Gtech Community Stadium earlier in the season, and both teams will be looking to get the upper hand here on Saturday afternoon.
The Cherries are currently tenth on the points table with 48 points in their 36 games. They are closely followed by Brighton & Hove Albion, who are a point behind and have a game in hand, while ninth-placed West Ham only have a points lead. With two games to go, Bournemouth will look to ensure they finish inside the top half.
In their last five outings, they have only won twice and are heading into this fixture on the back of a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal. Bournemouth were dominated by superior opposition and will have to bounce back to win against Brentford.
The visitors are currently 16th on the points table with 36 points in as many games. They are ten points clear of the drop zone, and survival in the English top flight has already been secured. While the Bees can only finish as high as 15th, they will surely look to end the season on a high.
Brentford have also won just two out of their last five league outings. They are heading into this fixture on the back of a 0-0 draw against Fulham. The Bees did have the majority of the ball but they didn’t create enough chances throughout the 90 minutes. They will be eager to return to winning ways. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
The home team will be without the services of Luis Sinisterra, Marcus Tavernier, and Ryan Fredericks. Apart from the trio, the availability of Tyler Adams, Lloyd Kelly, and Chris Mepham will depend on a late fitness test. Meanwhile, Milos Kerkez is suspended for this outing.
Bournemouth will line up in a 4-4-2, where Neto will be in goal. Adam Smith and Dango Ouattara should start as the full-backs, while Illia Zabarnyi should pair up with Marcos Senesi in the heart of the defence.
Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert will feature out wide on the flanks. They will provide width to their attacking moves, while Ryan Christie and Lewis Cook will look to control the tempo of the game from the centre of the park. Finally, Enes Unal should pair up with Dominic Solanke in the strike partnership.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Neto; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Ouattara; Semenyo, Christie, Cook, Kluivert; Unal, Solanke
Brentford
The visitors will be without the services of Josh Dasilva, Rico Henry, Ben Mee, and Aaron Hickey for this fixture. Meanwhile, the availability of Mathias Jensen and Kristoffer Ajer will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Brentford will go ahead with the 4-3-3 formation, where Mark Flekken will be in goal. With Ajer’s availability doubtful, Mads Roerslev should feature as a full-back along with Sergio Reguilon. In the heart of the defence, Ethan Pinnock should pair up with Nathan Collins.
Vitaly Janelt will feature in the centre of the park alongside Christian Norgaard and Mikkel Damsgaard. The trio will look to ensure the opposition do not end up dictating the pace of the game. Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa will feature on the flanks. They will provide width to their attacks, while Ivan Toney will lead the line for Brentford against Bournemouth.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Reguilon; Janelt, Norgaard, Damsgaard; Mbeumo, Toney, Wissa
Key Stats
- The Bees have kept a clean sheet in their last two visits to Bournemouth.
- Bournemouth have lost their last home game of the season in three out of the last four seasons.
- Brentford have won their final away fixture of the campaign in the last three seasons.
- The Cherries have been unbeaten in their last six league games at the Vitality Stadium which is their long run without a loss on home turf in the English top flight.
- Both teams have won only two out of their last five league games.
Player to Watch
Ivan Toney
Toney has failed to find the back of the net in his last two outings. While he did get off to a decent start after returning to action in January, things have not been going according to plan of late. With two games to go in the season, the Brentford ace will look to return to his best and add to his tally of four goals and an assist in 15 outings.
Prediction
Bournemouth 2-2 Brentford
Bournemouth have had a much better season than that of Brentford and based on their position in the league table, one might consider the Cherries to be the favourites. But the Bees will surely give them a run for their money.
Both teams are pushing for a higher finish, but they have been a bit inconsistent of a late. It will be a closely fought encounter and there might not be anything to separate the two teams in the end. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw.