Match Preview: Bournemouth v Brentford

In partnership with

Brentford FC

·2 March 2026

Match Preview: Bournemouth v Brentford

Brentford take on Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium in the Premier League on Tuesday (7.30pm kick-off GMT), live on TNT Sports 4.

The Bees have won their last four away fixtures across all competitions, while Andoni Iraola's side are on an eight-game unbeaten run.

Analysis, team news, match officials and more. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the match.

Pre-match analysis

Stephen Gillett, Playmaker Stats: Brentford's impressive recent record against the Cherries

Selling your top scorer midway through the season rarely signals progress - but Brentford’s next opponents, Bournemouth, have navigated their January reshuffle impressively.

OneFootball Videos

Antoine Semenyo left the Cherries in the last transfer window after Manchester City triggered the winger’s £65m release clause, and the Ghana international has made a fast start to life with the Cityzens.

However, Andoni Iraola’s side have also pushed on since Semenyo’s exit; only Manchester United (11 games) are currently on a longer unbeaten run in the Premier League than Bournemouth (8).

After a 1-1 stalemate at home to Sunderland last weekend, the Cherries have drawn more top-flight games (12) than any other team in the division - but that is partly down to their impressive bouncebackability. Only Aston Villa (19) and the Black Cats themselves (16) have picked up more points from losing positions this term than Bournemouth (15).

Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris accurately described the Cherries as “an intense, duel-driven, sprinting team” afterwards - and Brazilian teenager Rayan appears a perfect fit as Semenyo’s replacement.

The electric 19-year-old won the Revelação award in Brazil’s top flight last year (following in the footsteps of recent winners such as Real Madrid’s Endrick and Chelsea’s Estêvão), and he has wasted no time announcing himself on the Premier League stage.

An assist on his debut against Wolves offered a glimpse of Rayan’s talent, a drop of the shoulder leaving a defender trailing in the build-up to the Cherries’ second goal in a 2-0 win at Molineux.

The Brazilian followed that with a superb solo strike on his first Premier League start against Aston Villa, before scoring a crashing header against Everton. The £24.7m Bournemouth paid Vasco da Gama already looks like money well spent, and Rayan’s arrival has freshened up the Cherries’ attack.

This season, 42 per cent of Bournemouth’s attacks have come down the left flank, but against Sunderland, Rayan was a key outlet down the right, his explosive pace and aerial presence allowing them to stretch play from deep.

The Cherries may be in good form, but Brentford have won the last five meetings between the sides and have already beaten Bournemouth in both the league and Carabao Cup this term.

After high-profile departures of their own in recent years, Brentford can relate to attacking reshuffles more than most.

The Bees have successfully reconfigured their forward line following the summer exits of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, and the trio of Igor Thiago, Kevin Schade and Dango Ouattara reached a significant milestone last weekend.

Brentford’s 4-3 win over Burnley was memorable for many reasons - not least the fact their attacking trident have now combined for 30 league goals this season.

Thiago (18 goals), Schade (seven) and former Bournemouth forward Ouattara (five) have forged one of the Premier League’s most dangerous frontlines, accounting for over two-thirds of the Bees’ 44 league goals this term.

There will be free-flowing talent all over the park at Vitality Stadium, but both sides will also need to switch on at set-pieces.

Only Arsenal (19) and Newcastle (14) have scored more Premier League goals than Bournemouth (13) from corners, throws and free-kicks this season, while Brentford struck twice from dead-ball situations in their seven-goal thriller at Turf Moor.

No team in the top flight has conceded more goals from set-pieces this season than Bournemouth (16), however, and Bees head coach Keith Andrews will be keen to test that vulnerability under the lights on Tuesday night.

Scout report

Dan Long, Sky Sports: Bournemouth excelling despite Semenyo exit

When Bournemouth came to west London two days after Christmas, they were in the grips of a spell that had left them without a Premier League win in two months and a day.

Kevin Schade scored a hat-trick that day, which extended the winless run to nine. They drew 2-2 at Chelsea three days later, which made it 10 and, on 3 January, they took the lead at home to Arsenal, only to lose 3-2. “We played better than Arsenal in the first half,” said Andoni Iraola afterwards. “But Arsenal found a better way to win the game. It’s a sign we are not being efficient.”

The Cherries found themselves way down in 15th, yet due to the congestion above them, only seven points separated them from Chelsea all the way up in fifth. With just under half the season still to play, all was not lost.

Often, a situation worsens before it turns and, since that miserable sequence ended with the aforementioned defeat to the Gunners, it is like a light switch has been flicked.

Bournemouth are now on an eight-game unbeaten run, made up of four wins and four draws. They are fourth in the form table over the last 10 games, behind only Manchester United, Arsenal and Man City. They have climbed as high as 10th, which is where Opta Analyst are currently predicting them to finish.

This latest run began with a thrilling 3-2 win over Tottenham at Vitality Stadium, with the winner scored by Antoine Semenyo. Speculation about his future had been swirling and it was clear this would be his last game before a move to Man City. To hit a 95th-minute winner was some way to sign off.

Bournemouth were never a one-man team while the Ghana international was at the club, but he made such a contribution that it would have been natural to fear for what came next. Needless to say, those fears have since been allayed.

With 10 games remaining, there are two targets for the Cherries.

Should they pick up 18 more points, they will set a new club-record Premier League points total for the third season in succession. That is a goal the club will not shy away from.

Meanwhile, they have also played themselves into a battle for European qualification. Iraola usually shirks questions about whether his side can do that, but he may not be able to for much longer. His side are just four points behind Brentford in seventh and six behind Chelsea in sixth.

It was not too long ago that Bournemouth were stuck in a rut, so having something to play for in the final months feels like progress regardless.

In the Dugout

Andoni Iraola

A right-back by trade during his playing days, Andoni Iraola came through the ranks at Athletic Bilbao and made his debut during the 2003/04 La Liga season, following two years in the Segunda Division with Bilbao’s B team and a year with Basconia - effectively the club’s C team - before that.

Over the 10 seasons that followed his debut year, Iraola astonishingly missed only 26 league games, during which time he was part of the squad that finished as runners-up in the Copa del Rey twice, once in the Europa League and once in the Spanish Super Cup. Between 2008 and 2011, he earned seven senior caps for Spain.

He featured considerably less during 2014/15 - his final season at San Mamés - but captained Lehoiak in his final game for the club, in a third Copa del Rey final defeat, this time against Barcelona.

Iraola then signed for New York City of the MLS, where he spent 17 months, before retiring in November 2016. Just over 18 months later, he was handed his first managerial role with AEK Larnaca, but lasted only until January 2019 after winning 12 of his 29 matches in charge of the Cypriot First Division club.

That summer, he joined CD Mirandés where, in his only season at the club, he masterminded a run to the semi-final of the Copa del Rey for only the second time in the club’s history.

In August 2020, he took over at Rayo Vallecano, whom he led to promotion from the Segunda Division in his first season in charge. Los Franjirrojos finished 12th in their first season back in La Liga and 11th last term, which led to an approach from Leeds United, which was rebuffed by the club’s board.

However, he left at the end of the campaign when his contract expired and joined Bournemouth in June 2023. The 43-year-old is the sixth-longest serving manager in the Premier League, but is in the final few months of his current contract with the Cherries.

The Gameplan

With Alex Smith, Bournemouth reporter

Bournemouth reporter Alex Smith explains how Andoni Iraola is likely to set up his side on Tuesday night.

"Iraola tends to use the same sort of shape every time," he told brentfordfc.com earlier this week. "It is a 4-2-3-1, with a slightly deeper midfielder that looks like it potentially might be Tyler Adams alongside Alex Scott, who has been brilliant in the no.8 role.

"The frontline of Evanilson, Junior Kroupi - who has been playing in the no.10 role, as a second striker - and then two out-and-out wingers look to press energetically from the front, and Evanilson leads that.

"They look to win the ball high up the pitch, then hit teams in transition, and thrive off a bit of chaos around the opposition box."

Last Premier League starting XI v Sunderland (4-2-3-1): Petrović; Jiménez, Hill, Senesi, Truffert; Adams, Scott; Rayan, Tavernier, Brooks; Kroupi

Team News

Brentford issues update on six first-team players

Brentford has issued an update on six first-team players ahead of Tuesday’s Premier League game.

Aaron Hickey sustained a hamstring injury during the Bees’ 2-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion last month. It is hoped he will return after the March international break.

Vitaly Janelt suffered a metatarsal injury during the Brighton game. He has started rehabilitation and is likely to miss some game time.

Josh Dasilva is in modified training with the first-team squad. As he continues to progress, he may be available to be in a matchday squad before the end of the Premier League season.

Antoni Milambo and Fábio Carvalho are progressing well. Both players underwent ACL reconstruction surgery in late 2025.

Reiss Nelson missed the game at Burnley with a calf problem but is expected to return to full training in the coming days.

Match Officials

Pawson to referee Cherries clash

Referee: Craig Pawson

Assistants: Lee Betts and Matthew Wilkes

Fourth official: David Webb

VAR: Darren England

Craig Pawson will take charge of his second Brentford game of the season on Tuesday night.

The Yorkshire-born official was the man in the middle of the Bees’ 3-1 win against Manchester United at Gtech Community Stadium in September.

Pawson has had the whistle for 20 games across the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Championship this term, dishing out 57 yellow cards and three reds.