MX23RW : Saturday, December 14 07:11:18| >> :60:354:354:
[monks data]
Brentford logo
Premier League | Gameweek 20
Jan 14, 2023 at 5.30pm UK
Brentford Community Stadium
Bournemouth logo

Brentford
2 - 0
Bournemouth

Toney (39' pen.), Jensen (75')
Raya (69')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Neto (38')

Preview: Brentford vs. Bournemouth - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Premier League clash between Brentford and Bournemouth, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Seeking to bounce back from early FA Cup exits, Brentford and Bournemouth return to Premier League action at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday evening.

The Bees were dumped out in the third round by West Ham United at the weekend, while the Cherries fell to a 4-2 defeat to Championship pace-setters Burnley.


Match preview

Brentford manager Thomas Frank before the match on January 7, 2023© Reuters

Lightning would not strike twice for Brentford against West Ham, who had fallen to a 2-0 Premier League defeat to the Bees in their final top-flight fixture of 2022 before successfully getting revenge in Saturday's FA Cup contest.

Thomas Frank's rotated team succumbed to a 79th-minute winner from Said Benrahma as their dreams of silverware came to an end for at least another 12 months, but the Bees' quest for an unlikely European spot in the Premier League table is still very much alive.

Deservedly thumping Liverpool 3-1 last time out, Brentford stretched their unbeaten run in the Premier League to six matches - winning three of their last four in the division - and they occupy ninth place in the table at the time of writing.

Brentford could have therefore slipped down to 10th place by the time Saturday's fixtures commence, but going through fixtures with Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur unbeaten only serves to further enhance the Bees' reputation as a top-half-worthy team.

Furthermore, only leaders Arsenal have got the better of Brentford on their own patch this season, and avoiding defeat this weekend would see the Bees record a seven-game unbeaten run in the top division for the first time in 85 years.

Bournemouth manager Gary O'Neil on January 7, 2023© Reuters

The Cherries' cup commitments are also over for another year after an enthralling six-goal loss to Burnley at the Vitality Stadium, which ended a four-game run without scoring for Gary O'Neil's men but also exacerbated their defensive woes.

Manuel Benson and Anass Zaroury both struck braces on the day to render Ryan Christie and Dominic Solanke's efforts inconsequential, but O'Neil can at least now focus all his efforts on Bournemouth's declining league form, which has dragged them back into relegation danger.

Having initially steadied the ship after taking over from Scott Parker, O'Neil has overseen three successive top-flight defeats to Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Manchester United, dropping the Cherries into 16th place and only one point clear of Everton below the dotted line.

Entering Saturday's game with an abysmal record of one win and seven defeats from their last eight Premier League contests, Bournemouth also have a four-game losing run on the road to try to correct, but 29 goals conceded away from home is unsurprisingly the worst tally of its kind in the division.

Brentford edged past Bournemouth 3-2 on aggregate when the two sides met in the semi-finals of the Championship playoffs in the 2020-21 season, but October's Premier League showdown was far more uneventful, as the two managers shook hands on a 0-0 draw.

Brentford Premier League form:


Brentford form (all competitions):


Bournemouth Premier League form:


Bournemouth form (all competitions):



Team News

Brentford's Ivan Toney celebrates scoring their first goal with Bryan Mbeumo on November 12, 2022© Reuters

Brentford's star striker Ivan Toney was not quite ready to return from his knee injury in the FA Cup, but the England international is making significant progress and should be able to apply for a place in the squad this weekend.

Shandon Baptiste, Frank Onyeka and Aaron Hickey could also come back into the fold in what would be part of a quadruple injury boost for Frank, leaving Pontus Jansson (hamstring) as the hosts' only absentee for Saturday's game.

Freiburg loanee Kevin Schade came off the bench for his Brentford debut in the FA Cup, and the 21-year-old could now earn his first Premier League minutes as a substitute versus the Cherries.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth defender Adam Smith has incurred a one-match Premier League ban after accumulating five yellow cards, and with Ryan Fredericks also nursing an unspecified injury, Jack Stacey should come in to start this one.

David Brooks, Neto, Marcus Tavernier and Junior Stanislas are also confined to the treatment room, but Jefferson Lerma - who was rested in the FA Cup in order to manage some knee discomfort - should return to the engine room.

O'Neil put out a recognisable XI for his side's FA Cup loss to Burnley, but the Cherries boss could field a new-look defence here, with Jack Stephens and Jordan Zemura potentially dropping out for Lloyd Kelly and Chris Mepham alongside the introduction of Stacey.

Brentford possible starting lineup:
Raya; Zanka, Mee, Pinnock; Roerslev, Norgaard, Janelt, Jensen, Henry; Mbeumo, Wissa

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Travers; Stacey, Mepham, Senesi, Kelly; Christie, Cook, Lerma, Billing; Moore, Solanke


SM words green background

We say: Brentford 2-0 Bournemouth

While defeat in the FA Cup will go down as a minor blot on Frank's notebook, Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium fortress are a force to be reckoned with, and the possible reinclusion of Toney would only add to the Bees' final-third potency.

In stark contrast, Bournemouth and goalscoring have not gone hand-in-hand recently, and we can only envisage Brentford maintaining their European push with a comfortable three points.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.


Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a home win 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.Home Win:data


ID:504007:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect15629:
Written by
Ben Knapton

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: Brentford vs Bournemouth

Brentford
84.8%
Draw
9.3%
Bournemouth
6.0%
151
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Freiburg forward Kevin Schade in action versus Borussia Dortmund in January 2022.
Read Next:
Brentford confirm Kevin Schade loan deal
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


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!