Bournemouth and Brentford square off on Saturday afternoon with both clubs looking to build some momentum ahead of the Championship playoffs.
While the Cherries are looking to extend a winning streak which has reached seven matches, the Bees are desperate to end a run of five draws in six games.
Match preview
© Reuters
When Bournemouth kept Jonathan Woodgate in charge for the remainder of the season, the decision inevitably divided opinion among a fanbase who were aware that the appointment of Thierry Henry was an option for their club.
However, the former Middlesbrough boss has worked wonders at the Vitality Stadium, winning seven games in succession to keep the club in contention for an immediate return to the Premier League.
While the Cherries have kept just one clean sheet in six outings, scoring 18 goals during the same period means that even the most pessimistic of supporters will be dreaming of competing in the top flight next season.
Arnaud Danjum Groeneveld continues to be the standout man in the final third, but a number of his teammates are also stepping up to the plate on a weekly basis.
Although automatic promotion is almost certainly out of their reach, Bournemouth will be eager to get a result against a team who could be their opponents in the playoffs next month.
© Reuters
Possessing a game in hand on their hosts, Brentford will finish above Bournemouth if they can prevail in their remaining four fixtures of the campaign.
With six draws being recorded in eight fixtures, that appears unrealistic, leaving Thomas Frank in a position where he needs to find solutions in the final third.
Five of Brentford's 11 goals since March 12 came in the same game, and all of Ivan Toney's contributions in attack are at risk of going to waste if he does not rediscover his touch over the next month.
The division's top goalscorer has netted just once in five games, and this would be the ideal occasion to get back on track as the Bees look to confirm their playoff spot with three games to spare.
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- D
- D
- D
- W
- D
- D
Team News
© Reuters
Bournemouth are likely to be forced into at least one change with Lloyd Kelly being withdrawn through injury before the break against Millwall.
Diego Rico should take his spot at left-back, but that could prove to be the sole alteration with several players having been rested during the closing stages at The Den.
Despite having an extra day of recovery, Frank will almost certainly make changes to his Brentford XI.
Sergi Canos and Saman Ghoddos are both pushing for recalls, particularly with a switch back to a 4-3-3 formation a possibility.
Rico Henry and Josh Dasilva are still out of contention for the visitors.
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Begovic; Stacey, Carter-Vickers, Cook, Rico; Pearson, Lerma; Brooks, Billing, Groenveld; Solanke
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Raya; Jansson, Norgaard, Pinnock; Rasmussen, Janelt, Jensen, Mbeumo; Fosu-Henry; Toney, Forss
We say: Bournemouth 2-1 Brentford
With both teams realistically assured of a playoff spot, we may see a free-flowing game on the South coast. That should suit each team, but we still expect Bournemouth to show the greater cutting edge in the final third.
Top tip
Darren Plant
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 Brentford win with a probability of 43.03%. A win for Bournemouth had a probability of 30.14% and a draw had a probability of 26.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Brentford win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.52%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.75%) and 0-2 (7.92%). The likeliest Bournemouth win was 1-0 (9.26%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.72%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with an 11.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 0-1 win for Brentford in this match.
