Bournemouth will go in search of their first Premier League win of the season when they take on high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex on Sunday.
Having recorded three draws and two losses so far, Bournemouth find themselves two points outside the relegation zone after five matches.
A star showing ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/JBhw7mbP52— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) September 18, 2023
A star showing ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/JBhw7mbP52
At the opposite end of the table, Brighton occupy fifth place thanks to a run of four victories in five outings, meaning they sit three points shy of leaders Manchester City.
The Seagulls kicked off their campaign with successive 4-1 victories over Luton Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers before losing 3-1 to West Ham United.
However, Roberto De Zerbi’s men swiftly return to winning ways, securing a 3-1 victory against Newcastle United before beating Manchester United by the same scoreline last weekend.
Having netted 15 goals across their opening five encounters (three goals per game), Brighton are the top scorers in the Premier League this season.
That said, the Seagulls have failed to keep a clean sheet in the league this term, surrendering defensive solidity for attacking dominance.
On the flip side, Bournemouth have failed to taste victory in the Premier League this season, although they have avoided defeat in three of their five outings.
The Cherries have held West Ham, Brentford and Chelsea so far, but they have also suffered defeats against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
Bournemouth’s sole victory in 2023-24 came against Swansea City in the first round of the EFL Cup last month, with Andoni Iraola’s side winning 3-2 in Wales.
The new manager appears to have transformed Bournemouth’s playing style, but he still has plenty of work to do if the Cherries are to climb the standings.
Head-to-head: Brighton secured two clean-sheet victories over Bournemouth last season, winning 1-0 at the Amex before winning 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium.
Consequently, the Seagulls have won three of their previous four Premier League meetings with the Cherries, keeping three clean sheets in the process.
Team news: Brighton look set to be without the injured duo of Julio Enciso and Jakub Moder for the foreseeable future.
Bournemouth, on the other hand, will be without the injured trio of Alex Scott, Ryan Fredericks and Emiliano Marcondes this weekend.
While Bournemouth have failed to taste victory in the league this term, Brighton have won four of their five matches, averaging three goals per game for good measure.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Brighton will once again score over 2.5 goals on their way to dispatching winless Bournemouth.