Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion will be eager to continue their solid start to the 2025/26 season when they face off at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.
The first international break of the 2025/26 season is behind us, and the Premier League resumes with Gameweek 4 this weekend. The latest round of fixtures starts with the tie between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest before the action continues with five simultaneous matches, including Bournemouth vs Brighton & Hove Albion at the Vitality Stadium.
Bournemouth began the 2025/26 season with a 4-2 loss to Liverpool, producing a performance that suggested that losing several pivotal figures would not deter the Cherries from continuing to function as more than the sum of their parts. Andoni Iraola’s men have since clinched successive 1-0 victories to climb to seventh in the Premier League standings.
On the other hand, Brighton & Hove Albion have blown hot and cold in the first few games. The Seagulls began their 2025/26 Premier League campaign with a frustrating 1-1 draw with Fulham before suffering a surprise 2-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. However, Fabian Hurzeler’s men bounced back to winning ways by coming from a goal down to beat Manchester City 2-1 in Gameweek 3.
The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 2-1 win for Brighton & Hove Albion, with David Brooks scoring a late consolation goal for Bournemouth. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
Andoni Iraola has received a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Bournemouth manager will be bereft of the services of three first-team players vs Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
Adam Smith is the latest absentee, with the Bournemouth captain recovering from the hamstring injury he picked up in Gameweek 3 against Tottenham Hotspur. The veteran defender has joined Enes Unal (knee) on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Lewis Cook faces a late fitness test to determine his availability, and Julian Araujo is available after serving a suspension.
Djordje Petrovic will take his spot between the sticks, with Bournemouth lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. The backline will feature Julian Araujo, Bafode Diakite, Marcos Senesi, and Adrien Truffert.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Tyler Adams and Alex Scott in the double pivot. Marcus Tavernier will likely reprise the no. 10 role, with David Brooks and Antoine Semenyo being the two wide attackers. Finally, Evanilson will lead the line for Bournemouth against Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Araujo, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert; Adams, Scott; Brooks, Tavernier, Semenyo; Evanilson
Brighton & Hove Albion
Like his counterpart in the Bournemouth dugout, Fabian Hurzeler has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of the trip to the Vitality Stadium. The Brighton & Hove Albion manager will be without two first-team players on Saturday.
Adam Webster and Solomon March are long-term absentees due to their knee injuries. However, Mats Wieffer is fit and available after recovering from his knee issue. However, the Dutch midfielder will unlikely start this weekend.
Bart Verbruggen is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Brighton & Hove Albion lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Bournemouth on Saturday. The backline will likely feature Joel Veltman, Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, and Maxim De Cuyper.
As for the midfield unit, Carlos Baleba and Yasin Ayari should pair up in the double pivot, with the duo providing the solidity in the middle of the park. Georginio Rutter will return to the team by reprising the no. 10 role, with Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh being the two wide attackers. Finally, Danny Welbeck will spearhead the Brighton & Hove Albion attack against Bournemouth.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, van Hecke, Dunk, De Cuyper; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Rutter, Mitoma; Welbeck
Key Stats
Bournemouth won four of their first six Premier League matches vs Brighton and Hove Albion (D1 L1), but the Cherries have since lost five of their six against them (W1). The Seagulls have won on two of their three most recent away league visits to Bournemouth (L1). They are looking for consecutive away wins at the Cherries for the first time since February 1932.
Bournemouth have picked up six points in their first three Premier League matches this season (W2 L1), their second-best return after three games in a top-flight season (7 in 2018/19). They are looking to win three successive games for the first time since December 2024.
After facing 19 shots and 10 on target in the 4-2 loss against Liverpool on Gameweek 1, Bournemouth have faced the fewest shots (11) and fewest shots on target (2) of any side across the last two rounds of fixtures, and they were the only side with two clean sheets in that time. Burnley in 1895/96 and Arsenal in 1989/90 are the only two top-flight sides to ship four in their opening game and then keep three successive clean sheets.
Brighton & Hove Albion have scored a penalty in four of their last six Premier League ties. Meanwhile, in 2025, they have netted nine penalties, four more than any other side. Four clubs have scored 10+ penalties in a year – Chelsea in 2021 (12), Leicester City and Manchester United in 2020 (10), and Manchester City in 2023 (10).
David Brooks has created four “big chances” in the Premier League, the most of any player thus far this season. Brooks and Evanilson have combined to produce seven chances for each other in 2025/26, two more than any other duo.
Player to Watch
Antoine Semenyo
Embed from Getty Images
While David Brooks, Georginio Rutter, and Kaoru Mitoma were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Antoine Semenyo as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion at the Vitality Stadium.
The Ghanaian international has been hot off the blocks in the 2025/26 Premier League season, and he is the only Premier League player with ten shots and five chances created thus far this term. However, the Bournemouth forward is yet to score or assist in six outings against Brighton & Hove Albion, and he will aim to break that duck this weekend.
Prediction
Bournemouth 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Recent matches between Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion have been engrossing, and Saturday’s clash should be no different. However, the Cherries have been solid in their last two Premier League games, and they will unlikely allow many chances from the away side.
On the other hand, the hosts have been impressive in the final third, and Antoine Semenyo will likely continue his excellent form. The Ghanaian international will thus break his duck against Brighton & Hove Albion while inspiring a narrow victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Andoni Iraola and his charges.