🏏 Sat, 12 Sep 2026 15:00 BST
AFC Bournemouth
vs
Brentford FC
4-2-3-1 vs 4-2-3-1
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- Three rounds in, these two sit on opposite sides of the table. Brentford are fifth on five points, unbeaten with one win and two draws and a goal difference of +3. Bournemouth are 15th on two points from two draws and a defeat, at -1. With leaders Manchester City already on nine points, Brentford will want to keep pace near the top.
- Bournemouth have shown resilience on the road without converting it into wins. They lost 2-1 away at Manchester City on the opening weekend, drew 1-1 at home with Everton, and then came away from Newcastle with a 2-2. Four goals scored and five conceded reflects a team that is competitive but yet to close out a result.
- Brentford opened with a statement, beating Tottenham 3-0 at home, then drew 1-1 away at Leeds and 1-1 at home with Sunderland. Two goals conceded in three games is a strong defensive base, but they have managed only one goal in each of the last two outings.
- The subplot here is a run of returning Bournemouth players. Jaden Anthony starts on the left wing for Brentford, a 26-year-old who scored 10 goals during his time on the south coast. Right-footed but most dangerous cutting in from the left, he now lines up against the club where he made his name.
- Two more former Cherries wait on the Brentford bench. Dango Ouattara, the 24-year-old Burkina Faso international, left Bournemouth for what was a Brentford club-record fee and brings raw pace plus a fierce left foot. Alongside him is 34-year-old Callum Wilson, whose career has taken in Coventry, Bournemouth, Newcastle and West Ham and whose finishing remains sharp when fit.
- It is 4-2-3-1 against 4-2-3-1, so the double pivots will decide territory. Bournemouth pair USA captain Tyler Adams, who scored the goal that took RB Leipzig into a Champions League semi-final, with 23-year-old Alex Scott, a club-record £25m signing from Bristol City and a product of Guernsey football. Brentford counter with left-footed Vitaly Janelt, signed from Bochum for just £500,000 before promotion, and Mali's Salzburg-schooled holder Mamadou Sangare.
- The centre-forward duel is worth the admission. Evanilson scored 60 goals in 154 appearances for FC Porto before joining Bournemouth for a club-record £40.2m, and is comfortable finishing with either foot. Igor Thiago, at 191cm, builds his game on hold-up play and powerful finishing, having been named UECL Young Player of the Season during his Club Brugge days.
- Both goalkeepers arrived from elite clubs. Bournemouth's 194cm Serbia international Djordje Petrovic came via Chelsea and was voted the standout performer of his season on loan at Strasbourg. Caoimhin Kelleher won the Premier League and the Champions League at Liverpool, and is known for his shot-stopping in shootouts and his composure in possession.
- Bournemouth's wide players offer contrast. On the left is Justin Kluivert, son of Patrick, a 27-year-old Netherlands attacker who has played for Ajax, Roma, RB Leipzig, Nice and Valencia. On the right is 20-year-old Brazilian Haian, signed for around £24.7m after scoring 14 goals in 34 games for Vasco da Gama, looking to cut inside onto his left foot against two-footed Scotland full-back Aaron Hickey, a Hearts and Bologna alumnus.
- Brentford's back line is an unusual mix. In the middle, 198cm Norway international Kristoffer Ajer, a three-time Scottish league champion with Celtic, partners 20-year-old Austrian Yannik Schuster, a 190cm product of Red Bull Salzburg's Liefering pathway. At left-back, natural winger Keane Lewis-Potter, who broke through at Hull City, continues to provide thrust from a defensive starting position.