Full Time
Bournemouth and Brentford shared the points in a 2-2 draw at the Vitality Stadium, with a goalkeeping error from Djordje Petrovic gifting Brentford a way back into the game. Justin Kluivert and Marcus Tavernier had Bournemouth in control, but Kevin Schade's brace — the second helped along by that Petrovic mistake — hauled Brentford level. Schade was the standout performer on the day, punishing Bournemouth's generosity in front of goal to make sure the visitors didn't leave empty-handed. Bournemouth remain stuck in the table's bottom half still searching for their first win of the season, while Brentford's point keeps them handily in the pack just outside the top half.
Pre-match Talking Points
-
1Bournemouth have two points from three games and a new head coach in Marco Rose still finding his feet — this is exactly the kind of match a struggling side needs to turn a corner in. Brentford, meanwhile, are sat pretty in 5th with five points and genuine European ambitions this season. A Bournemouth defeat here and the early-season murmurs about Rose only get louder; a Brentford win keeps them right in the mix at the top end of the table.
-
2Bournemouth haven't beaten Brentford in the league since August 2014 — that's eleven straight meetings without a win, eight defeats and three draws. It's the kind of hoodoo that starts to feel less like coincidence and more like a psychological block the longer it goes on. Cherries fans would love nothing more than to finally end it in front of their own crowd.
-
3Watch Dango Ouattara, who Bournemouth reluctantly sold to Brentford last year for a club-record £42million and who scored the winner at Newcastle on his 100th Premier League appearance. He came through this club, and now he's the one Brentford fans are relying on to go and beat his old employers. If he's the difference again on Saturday, the home end won't quite know how to feel about it.
-
4Brentford's team news isn't all good: captain Nathan Collins went off after just 17 minutes against Sunderland with a calf injury, and Keith Andrews has already ruled him out until after the international break. That means no Collins for this trip, the EFL Cup tie at Reading, or next week's visit from Chelsea — three matches without your captain and first-choice centre-back is a real dent for a side flying as high as Brentford currently are.
-
5Here's the stat that should worry Bournemouth fans more than the league table does: they've conceded a costly late goal in all three of their opening games this season, turning good positions into two points from a possible nine. If it happens a fourth time on Saturday, this stops being bad luck and starts being a pattern. Keep half an eye on the last 20 minutes — that's usually when it goes wrong for them.
Team Talking Points
-
1Bournemouth are the form team nobody's talking about: last weekend's 2-1 win at Ipswich made it eight wins in a row in all competitions. Even better, it's four straight league wins – something they hadn't managed in a single season since December 2023.
-
2It's a proper turnaround story. Marco Rose's side didn't win any of their first six Premier League games (three draws, three defeats), and now they're up to seventh on 15 points, just three behind the top four. Drop 'they were winless after six games, you know' and watch people do the maths.
-
3Striker Evanilson is red hot. He scored inside five minutes at Ipswich after nicking the ball off the goalkeeper and rolling it into an empty net, and that's now five Premier League games in a row with a goal – the first Bournemouth player ever to do that.
-
4The bigger clubs are circling. Arsenal are reportedly keen on young forward Eli Junior Kroupi, although the word is Bournemouth have no intention of letting him go before the summer. It's the price of being good at spotting talent – everyone else eventually notices.
-
5There's an England angle too: defender James Hill was called up to the senior squad this week as cover after Ezri Konsa dropped out of training. Not bad for a club whose matchday squad still costs a fraction of the Premier League's big spenders.
🍺
Top thing to say down the pub
Eight wins on the bounce and Evanilson can't stop scoring – Bournemouth have gone from 'winless after six' to sniffing round the top four in about six weeks.
🚫
Avoid saying
"Bournemouth are just a nice little seaside club" – they've won eight straight and are three points off the Champions League places. Patronise them now and you'll look daft by Christmas.
-
1Brentford's last game was a 2-0 defeat at high-flying Brighton, and it turned on a red card. Striker Igor Thiago was initially booked after a tussle with Brighton's Chema Andrés, but referee Michael Oliver upgraded it to red after a look at the pitchside monitor.
-
2Manager Keith Andrews wasn't thrilled. He suggested Thiago had been provoked and questioned how the decision was reached, while also accepting his players need to take responsibility for their conduct. 'We need to learn and grow as a group' was the line – which is manager-speak for 'we'll be having words'.
-
3Despite that, Brentford's season is genuinely decent: they're eighth with 14 points from 10 games, and that was only their second league defeat of the season. Five draws means they're hard to beat, if not always easy to watch win.
-
4They've already had a statement result, beating Chelsea 3-0 back in October. For a club with a fraction of Chelsea's budget, that's the kind of afternoon fans will be bringing up for years, so feel free to mention it.
-
5Next up after the break is Everton at home on 21 November – and with Thiago likely facing a suspension after the red, Andrews may need to find goals from elsewhere. Brentford are only two points off the European places, so it's a big one.
🍺
Top thing to say down the pub
Only two league defeats all season and they battered Chelsea 3-0 – Brentford are a lot better than the 'plucky little Bees' label they still get.
🚫
Avoid saying
"Brentford? Aren't they the ones that just got promoted?" – they've been in the Premier League since 2021. Say that and a Bees fan will politely explain the last five years to you, in full.