Bournemouth vs Brentford Prediction: Solanke to send timely Southgate reminder

Premier League Manager of the Year nominee Andoni Iraola will lead his AFC Bournemouth side out for one final time at the Vitality Stadium this season, as the Cherries host Brentford on Saturday afternoon (KO, 15:00).

Read below for my Bournemouth vs Brentford prediction, where you can also find all the latest team news and match odds.

With just two games remaining, Bournemouth look well-placed to finish in the Premier League top 10 for just the second time in their history. There is still work for them to do as Brighton (11th) and Wolves (12th) are just a point and two points behind respectively, but the Cherries can also look to match their highest-ever league position of ninth, set in 2016/17 under Eddie Howe, with West Ham United only a point ahead of the 10th-placed south-coast side.

Meanwhile, Brentford cannot finish lower than their current standing of 16th, and can only usurp Everton, who are a single point in front, to 15th.

The Bees haven't scored in their last two games - a 1-0 defeat at Everton and a goalless home draw against Fulham - since securing their Premier League status with a 5-1 win at Luton Town, and already appear to be looking ahead to the next campaign, which they will hope is more successful than the current one.

Bournemouth were beaten 3-0 at Arsenal last time out, but before that defeat to the Premier League title hopefuls, Iraola's side had beaten Brighton 3-0 and Wolves 1-0.

Team News

Bournemouth are still missing several first-team players through injury including Marcus Tavernier, Ryan Fredericks and Luis Sinisterra, while Milos Kerkez is serving the final match of a three-game ban for a red card he received against Brighton.

USA international Tyler Adams hasn't featured since March 30 but is pushing for a return to the matchday squad.

Brentford are without long-term absentees Ben mee, Rico Henry, Aaron Hickey and Josh Dasilva, while Mathias Jensen and Kristoffer Ajer will be assessed ahead of kick-off.

Bournemouth vs Brentford Odds

Bournemouth head into the game as 1/1 favourites, giving them an implied win probability of 50%, while Brentford can be backed at 12/5 (29.4%), and the draw at 11/4.

September's reverse fixture at the Gtech Stadium saw the sides play out a 2-2 draw - it's 4/9 for both teams to score again on Saturday, 6/5 for over 3.5 goals, and 10/1 for a repeat of that 2-2 scoreline.

Bournemouth to win & both teams to score @ 21/10

Bournemouth have already accumulated a club-record 48 Premier League points this season, but Iraola will be desperate for his side to go until the end and secure a top-10 spot.

Brentford, on the other hand, have very little to play for now, and that much has been evident in recent games against Fulham and Everton.

The Bees failed to score against either side, but I don't expect them to fire blanks for a third straight match - they have too much firepower in attack for that to continue, with Ivan Toney in particular having a lot to prove ahead of Gareth Southgate's European Championship squad announcement - and the Cherries have only kept two clean sheets in nine league matches at home this calendar year.

However, Bournemouth have won four of their last five at the Vitality Stadium, and really should've emerged triumphant from their 2-2 draw with Manchester United during that period.

I can see an entertaining encounter on Saturday, with the hosts picking up the three points to boost their top-half hopes.

Dominic Solanke first goalscorer @ 4/1

One man who may feel hard done by when Southgate names his Three Lions squad later this month is Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke. The 26-year-old hasn't received an international call-up this season, despite only Cole Palmer (21) and Ollie Watkins (19) scoring more Premier League goals than him as England-eligible players.

With Toney in such poor form in front of goal, though - the Brentford star hasn't found the net in his last 10 league appearances - Solanke will still believe there is a glimmer of hope for him to force his way onto the plane to Germany.

To do so, he might need to get back on the goalscoring trail himself, having blanked in his last three, but he can take confidence from the fact that he netted against the Bees in September, and his last three strikes were all openers.

Check out the rest of our Football Betting Tips here.