The Premier League weekend kicks off on Friday night this week. It does so with a potentially important battle towards the foot of the table when Bournemouth host Brighton to get the action underway.
Bournemouth go into the match looking for their first win of the campaign whereas Brighton enjoyed that landmark last week and will be aiming to build on that here.
Bournemouth
Eddie Howe’s men were being talked up as big improvers ahead of the season starting. I certainly subscribed to that thought but it has not materialised yet. While a tough schedule can cut them a little bit of slack I think everyone concerned with the Cherries will be disappointed with their return thus far.
Just one goal in their opening four matches highlights exactly where they are having issues at the present time. That is a surprise because having added Jermaine Defoe to their ranks in the summer they were not expected to have any struggles in the goalscoring department. On the flip side they have coped well enough defensively.
Brighton
I guess if you had offered Brighton boss Chris Hughton four points from four matches to begin the season he would have accepted it, especially when one of their matches was against Manchester City. I would suggest he will be very pleased with four points from their last two games and they have something to build on here.
Any fears people had that they couldn’t score goals were largely put to bed last week when they took care of a usually defensively resolute West Brom side and put three past them. A lot was made of Pascal Gross’ impact in that match and it would be a surprise if he was allowed as much freedom here which could be important.
Team News
Ryan Fraser is expected to miss out for the home side with the ankle injury he picked up in the defeat to Arsenal. Junior Stanislas will also miss out along with Callum Wilson.
Izzy Brown could be fit to start for Brighton after he has recovered from a hamstring issue while Bruno could be available to feature despite leaving the action early last week.
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Betting
I have to admit that initially I was not going to bet on this match but I might have benefitted from having to write this preview late as the drift on the under 2.5 goals has made that a much more attractive proposition.
Bournemouth are struggling in front of goal and they are not going to find life much easier against a Brighton side who are renowned for being tight and giving little away. Brighton have only conceded five times in four matches and have faced two potent offenses in Man City and Leicester.
On the flip side of that they have only scored in one game this season and despite their win last week they still don’t look like a free scoring side. To their credit Bournemouth have defended better this season. They have shipped eight goals but they have faced Man City and Arsenal in that time.
With Bournemouth likely to head back to basics and Brighton probably delighted with a point on the road this match has plenty of under 2.5 potential to it and that is where my money is heading.
Tips
Back Under 2.5 goals for a 4/10 stake at 1.80 with Betfair
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