In the League Cup, it is possible for two Premier League teams to face each other as early as the second round: this is the case with Bournemouth vs. Brentford, who are set to battle it out for qualification in a single-match tie at Vitality Stadium (in the event of a draw after regulation time, the match will go straight to penalties).
The Cherries secured their first win of the season last weekend, beating Wolves 1-0 with a goal from Tavernier: after four minutes, the Rossoneri were already in the lead, then Toti Gomes’ sending off at the start of the second half made things easier for Andoni Iraola’s side, who are aiming to improve on last season’s surprising ninth place finish (the dream is Europe, which could also be achieved by winning one of the domestic cups).
The victory over Wolverhampton allowed the Basque coach to put his opening defeat to Liverpool at Anfield (4-2) behind him, in which his men had the strength to come back from two goals down to the Reds – with a brace from Semenyo – only to collapse in the final minutes. Brentford also has three points in the standings: the Bees pulled off a surprise win over Aston Villa (1-0) on Saturday, redeeming themselves after a disappointing debut at Nottingham Forest (3-1). The win over the Villans was by no means a foregone conclusion: in addition to ‘losing’ Thomas Frank, the coach who led Brentford for the last seven years, the London club has been left without one of its best players, Mbeumo (who has moved to Manchester United), and is also about to lose Wissa, who is on the verge of joining Newcastle (the player remains out of the squad).
Odds comparison
Bournemouth’s victory is quoted at 1.73 on Lottomatica and 1.75 on Snai. The “Goal” sign is quoted at 1.55 on Lottomatica and 1.50 on Snai.
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The prediction
As is often the case in these cup rounds, a lot will depend on the lineups and therefore on the coaches’ choices. However, the feeling is that Bournemouth has a deeper squad than Brentford: it will be the Cherries who will dictate the game and have the best chances, considering that the Bees had very little possession against Aston Villa. We are confident in Bournemouth in a game with at least one goal for each side.
Probable lineups for Bournemouth-Brentford
BOURNEMOUTH (4-2-3-1): Dennis; Smith, Diakité, Senesi, Truffert; Christie, Scott; Doak, Kluivert, Semenyo; Evanilson.
BRENTFORD (4-2-3-1): Valdimarsson; Hickey, Collins, van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Onyeka, Henderson; Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade; Igor Thiago.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1