MX23RW : Tuesday, March 19 05:28:41| >> :120:25680:25680:
[monks data]
Bournemouth logo
Championship | Gameweek 1
Aug 6, 2021 at 7.45pm UK
Vitality Stadium
West Brom logo
Bournemouth
2 - 2
West Brom
Marcondes (12'), Billing (52')
Mepham (20')
FT(HT: 1-1)
O'Shea (33'), Robinson (67')
Bartley (60'), Mowatt (80'), Livermore (86')

Preview: Bournemouth vs. West Bromwich Albion - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Friday's Championship clash between Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

The opening match of the 2021-22 Championship season will take place at the Vitality Stadium on Friday night, as Bournemouth welcome West Bromwich Albion for what should be an entertaining contest.

Bournemouth finished sixth in the second tier last season, ultimately losing to Brentford in the semi-finals of the playoffs, while West Brom were relegated back to this level from the Premier League.


Match preview

Fulham manager Scott Parker pictured in December 2020© Reuters

Bournemouth were good enough to secure a spot in last season's Championship playoffs, picking up 77 points from their 46 matches to claim sixth, but they fell at the semi-final stage of the playoffs, losing 3-2 on aggregate to Brentford, who managed to earn promotion to England's top flight.

Now under the leadership of Scott Parker, the Cherries will be expecting to challenge for promotion this term, and it will be fascinating to see whether the former Fulham manager can lead the club back into the Premier League during his first season at the helm.

Bournemouth only actually played three pre-season friendlies, beating Linense in Marbella on July 16 before suffering 2-1 defeats to Granada and Chelsea on July 19 and July 27 respectively.

The Cherries were in EFL Cup action on Saturday, though, and managed to progress to the second round courtesy of a 5-0 victory over MK Dons, with David Brooks, Dominic Solanke, Philip Billing and Christian Saydee on the scoresheet during an impressive performance.

It has been a relatively quiet summer for the club in terms of incomings, but Emiliano Marcondes and Leif Davis have both arrived, and more new faces are expected to arrive before the transfer window closes.

Barnsley manager Valerien Ismael pictured in October 2020© Reuters

West Brom, meanwhile, also have a new face at the helm, with Valerien Ismael, who impressed at Barnsley during the 2020-21 campaign, replacing Sam Allardyce as head coach for the 2021-22 campaign.

The Baggies found it difficult to compete in last season's Premier League, ultimately picking up just 26 points from their 38 matches to finish 19th, which saw them relegated alongside Fulham and Sheffield United.

West Brom, like Bournemouth, will be expected to challenge for a spot in England's top flight next term, and they have managed to bring Adam Reach, Alex Mowatt and Matt Clarke to the Hawthorns this summer.

The Baggies have played four pre-season friendlies, beating Woking and Sheffield Wednesday before being held to a goalless draw with Watford on July 24.

Ismael's side then thumped Birmingham City 4-0 on Saturday, and it is a tough start to the new campaign for West Brom, taking on Bournemouth, Luton Town and Sheffield United in their opening three fixtures.

Bournemouth form (all competitions):
  • W

West Bromwich Albion form (all pre-season):
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • W



Team News

West Bromwich Albion forward Matheus Pereira pictured in January 2021© Reuters

Bournemouth will be without the services of Chris Mepham and Jefferson Lerma on Friday night through suspension, while Steve Cook and Jack Stacey are expected to miss out through injury.

The Cherries are also unlikely to be able to call upon Davis, Ben Pearson or Arnaut Danjuma, meaning that Parker's squad will be far from at full strength for their league opener.

Solanke and Brooks should both start in the final third of the field, while there are also expected to be spots in the starting XI for Billing, Jordan Zemura and Junior Stanislas, with Gavin Kilkenny retaining his midfield position.

As for West Brom, Ismael has revealed that new signing Reach will not be involved in the clash with Bournemouth, as he builds his fitness following a move from Sheffield Wednesday.

Youngsters Quevin Castro and Taylor Gardner-Hickman are also out with injuries.

There should be a debut for Mowatt, though, while Sam Johnstone could start between the sticks despite suggestions that he will be leaving the club before the end of the transfer window.

Matheus Pereira is pushing for an exit and is not expected to be considered for selection here, but the likes of Matt Phillips, Karlan Grant and Grady Diangana should feature in attacking areas.

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Travers; Zemura, Rossi, Kelly, Smith; Billing, Marcondes, Kilkenny; Brooks, Solanke, Stanislas

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Johnstone; O'Shea, Bartley, Ajayi; Furlong, Mowatt, Livermore, Townsend; Phillips, Grant, Diangana


SM words green background

We say: Bournemouth 1-1 West Bromwich Albion

This is a very difficult game to call, particularly as there are a number of unknowns entering the new campaign. Both managers will be desperate to get off to a perfect start, but a point would not be the end of the world for either side, and we can see the pair playing out a cagey 1-1 draw at the Vitality Stadium.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data



ID:458066:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect11663:

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Bournemouth win with a probability of 46.68%. A win for West Bromwich Albion had a probability of 27.46% and a draw had a probability of 25.9%.

The most likely scoreline for a Bournemouth win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.36%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.19%) and 2-0 (8.49%). The likeliest West Bromwich Albion win was 0-1 (8.23%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.29%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 5% likelihood.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: Bournemouth vs West Brom

Bournemouth
47.7%
Draw
29.0%
West Bromwich Albion
23.4%
214
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke celebrates scoring their second goal against MK Dons in the EFL Cup on July 31, 2021
Read Next:
Scott Parker hails "positive sign" as Bournemouth thrash MK Dons
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014

Subscribe to our newsletter


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!