AFC Bournemouth vs Brighton & Hove Albion Prediction: Points to be shared in Dorset

AFC Bournemouth welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday (15:00) hoping to get back to winning ways after suffering a 3-2 defeat at Brentford before the international break.

The Seagulls were victorious on their last outing, beating Manchester City 2-1 at the Amex Stadium, the same scoreline in which the Cherries defeated them at home the week prior. Read on for my AFC Bournemouth vs Brighton & Hove Albion prediction, accompanied by the latest match odds and team news.

AFC Bournemouth vs Brighton & Hove Albion Odds

Bournemouth are 11/8 to get back to winning ways here, which gives them a theoretical chance of 42.1%. Brighton are priced at 15/8 to collect the three points, giving them an implied probability of 34.8%. The draw is marketed at 13/5 (27.8%).

Over 2.5 goals is available at 4/7 and both teams to score can be backed at 1/2.

Brighton striker Danny Welbeck has six goals in the top flight this campaign, and he is 11/5 to add to his tally in Dorset.

Bournemouth attacker Evanilson has four for himself and he is the favourite to score anytime on Saturday at 9/5.

Football Odds

Team News

The Cherries have a few absences to deal with heading into the weekend. Alex Scott, Luis Sinisterra and Julian Araujo are out injured, while Ryan Christie is unavailable due to suspension. Antoine Semenyo, Dango Ouattara and Milos Kerkez will need to be assessed before Saturday.

In Christie's absence, Marcus Tavernier could return to the starting XI, or Andoni Iraola could be tempted to bring in Philip Billing. The Bournemouth boss needs to make the right call because whoever comes in will be supporting striker Evanilson, who is on a hot streak at the moment, scoring in his last three Premier League matches.

He is looking to become the first Cherries player since Callum Wilson in 2019 to score four matches in a row.

For Brighton, they welcomed back summer acquisition Matt O'Riley during the victory over Man City last time out, with the former Celtic man grabbing his first goal for the club. After two more weeks on the training ground, the Dane could be handed his first Premier League start against the Cherries.

James Milner remains injured for the Seagulls, while Lewis Dunk is also in the treatment room. Boss Fabian Hurzeler has said that Jack Hinshelwood and Carlos Baleba are in contention to feature at the weekend after both endured injury issues before the international break.

Ferdi Kadioglu, Yasin Ayari and Tariq Lamptey will need to be checked to see if they can be included in the squad on Saturday.

Joao Pedro will be pushing for a return to the starting lineup after scoring from the bench against City, so we could witness a formation change so that Hurzeler can fit him in alongside Welbeck and Georginio Rutter.

Fellow forward Evan Ferguson has returned to Brighton after grabbing a goal for the Republic of Ireland, which will have boosted his confidence. Now he has the task of trying to collect more minutes for his club, but he is facing fierce competition for places this year.

Draw @ 13/5

I like the way these two teams have started the season and they both boast impressive sets of attackers, so I think we could be treated to a cracker at the Vitality. I don't think there is much to separate them heading into the weekend.

The Seagulls are four points ahead of their hosts but I think the Cherries will present them with one of their toughest fixtures of the campaign so far. I think covering a draw would be a sensible selection here.

I've mentioned the attacker already and so there is no shortage of talent on offer who can deliver the goods in front of goal for either team. I think both sets of defences are vulnerable, which should also play into the entertainment value in Dorset.

They have both shipped 15 goals apiece after their first 11 matches, and I think we will see both their tallies rise on Saturday. I would say I have seen more of the visitors in action this term, and it's noticeable that is quite easy for teams to attack them when they play over the top - I remember Nottingham Forest having a lot of joy with this to set their wingers away.

I'm sure Bournemouth will have made a note of this, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Cherries profit from this sort of situation. However, the way Brighton knock the ball about can be pleasing on the eye, and it could overwhelm the hosts who sometimes commit too many bodies forward before losing possession.

Evanilson anytime goalscorer @ 9/5

After becoming Bournemouth's record signing over the summer from Porto, paid for by Dominic Solanke's big-money move to Tottenham Hotspur, it took Evanilson a few games to get going in the Premier League.

There were glimpses in his first few appearances but it was clear that more was needed from their new star man. You felt the worst for him when he had an opportunity to open his account from the penalty spot against Chelsea, but his effort was saved by Robert Sanchez.

It took a few more weeks for him to gain some confidence and he bagged his first goal in the 3-1 win over Southampton. A couple weeks went by without a goal before he netted a late equaliser against Aston Villa, which set him off on his current scoring run with goals against Man City and Brentford.

As mentioned above, he is hoping to become the first Bournemouth player since Wilson five years ago to score four in a row, and I fancy his chances to score again at home this weekend.

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