Brentford vs AFC Bournemouth preview, team news, tickets and prediction
Brentford will be looking to consolidate their impressive start to the season with a first home win of 2023/24 against AFC Bournemouth.
Brentford hope they will still be unbeaten by the time they face Andoni Iraola’s side in the new Premier League season as they try to kick on to bigger things this term.
This used to be a bonafide lower-division fixture up until last season following the Cherries’ promotion back to the top flight. Notably, their battles in the 2020/21 EFL Championship Playoff semi-finals are a historic piece in Brentford’s journey to becoming one of the most recognised teams in the Premier League today.
Thomas Frank’s side impressively held back Tottenham Hotspur on Ange Postecoglou’s managerial debut and got even better in their first away derby of the season against Fulham. The 3-0 win over their West London neighbours has sparked the Bees into life this season and they will be keen to continue their bright start.
At the beginning of what is now their third successive Premier League campaign, Brentford are unbeaten in their last five games at the Gtech Community Stadium and they will be confident of continuing that run against Bournemouth.
Given their progression over the last few years, it is no surprise that the Bees have won four of the last six games against them, registering three clean sheets in their last five showdowns with the Cherries who were also fighting to get back into the Premier League.
Ex-Spain international Iraola has endured a rather slow start to life in the hot seat at the Vitality Stadium after the first two games.
At the time of writing, Bournemouth have a single point via a late equaliser against West Ham on the opening weekend. They were thereafter soundly dispatched 3-1 at Anfield despite taking an early lead, a far cry from the 9-0 shellacking they took the last time they faced Liverpool away.
Bournemouth are seeking their first victory on the road this campaign but their head-to-head record against Brentford shows four wins and five draws from the past 15 meetings between them. There is no better time to improve that record and a positive result will stand them in good stead for their upcoming games.
Match tickets
This match kicks off on Saturday, 2 September at 3 pm UK Time in the Gtech Community Stadium. Tickets are on sale via the individual websites of both clubs and the hosts have confirmed that 100 of these Match Tickets will be available to purchase at the Brentford Box Office only.
You can very much expect the 17,250-capacity stadium to be sold out considering the current mood around Brentford’s lofty achievements in the top flight. The passionate Bees fans will not be lacking in voice or in numbers and this promises to be a memorable matchday for the home supporters.
Brentford vs Bournemouth tickets would be difficult to get given the hosts’ unbeaten streak at home and you would be lucky enough to find seats on a ticket reselling site.
Team news
The Bees have gone about their recruitment business with typical gusto as they bought goalkeeper Mark Flekken and central defender Nathan Collins while Kevin Schade’s loan deal was made permanent. They maintain a pretty small squad backed by their cutting-edge scouting system which is used to identify the most suitable players for their system.
Brentford have little fitness issues to worry about ahead of the Bournemouth game as Ben Mee should be available after recovering from a calf injury. Elsewhere, Josh Dasilva should be unavailable as he remains sidelined with a hamstring complaint.
Bournemouth, on the other hand, are going through a transitional phase under new ownership and have so far signed Ionut Radu, Justin Kluivert, Tyler Adams, Max Aarons, Romain Faivre, Milos Kerkez, Alex Scott and Hamed Junior Traore to bolster their ranks at the Vitality Stadium.
Nevertheless, they are set to be without Alex Scott, Marcus Tavernier, Dango Outtara, Emiliano Marcondes, Ryan Fredericks and Tyler Adams for the Brentford game.
Lewis Cook and Adam Smith are on the mend but remain doubts to feature in this match.
Line-ups
Cameroon International Bryan Mbeumo has made a purposeful start to the new season as he scored three times in Brentford’s first two games. The forward is stepping up impressively in the continued absence of Ivan Toney who is on a long-term ban from football for breaching the FA’s betting rules.
Mbeumo is now the team’s penalty-taker and creator-in-chief but the attacking responsibility is being shared across the frontline which also includes second-highest goalscorer Yoanne Wissa and Kevin Schade.
It appears that Frank’s team will be stronger without their main centre forward this term as they focus more on effectiveness as a unit given their evolution into a stable Premier League club.
Brentford: Flekken; Hickey, Collins, Pinnock, Henry; Norgaard, Janelt, Jensen; Mbeumo, Wissa, Schade
The visitors will look to hit the back of the net more often after outscoring only Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton and Southampton in the league last season. To that end, Dominic Solanke is their most productive attacking player having been involved in both of their goals so far this season
The Cherries need a much bigger output from their players to stand a better chance of staying in the Premier League and it is hoped that new signings can provide the boost of quality to survive. Hence, the likes of Justin Kluivert, Hamed Junior Traore, David Brooks, Antoine Semenyo, Jaidon Anthony and Kieffer Moore will look to step up in the coming weeks and nail down a starting position with their performances.
Bournemouth: Neto; Aarons, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Rothwell, Christie; Semenyo, Billing, Anthony; Solanke
Prediction
Brentford are favourites on current and previous form after they won all of the last four home ties against the South Coast side. A clear victory with a clean sheet is also very likely when you consider their recent meetings and Bournemouth’s shyness in front of goal.
However, Iraola’s men will be desperate for a break from the norm in West London and they can look to frustrate the Bees with a resolute away performance. Any form of result would be a huge positive for their first away points of the season, but their ability to get the job done is yet to be seen.
Brentford 2-0 Bournemouth
