Bournemouth vs Brighton: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

Date: 28/04/24

Kick-off time: 14:00

Venue: Vitality Stadium
The Seagulls are in a promising position to finish in the top half of the table as they currently occupy 10th place.  They are just four points behind West Ham in eighth, with two games in hand, and trail both Newcastle and Manchester United by six points. This means that a European spot is still very much in play for them should they finish the season strong.  Victory against Bournemouth would maintain their standing alongside the teams around them, but a loss would see their European hopes quickly slip away.

Similarly, Bournemouth are also hoping to finish in the top half, though anything beyond 10th seems a distant dream.  They are two points behind their opponents, but have played a game more. A win would mean they would leapfrog them and move into 11th at the very least. A defeat would do little damage to their league position as they are six points ahead of Crystal Palace, who sit one place below them.

This should be an even game, with both teams experiencing similar stretches of form. The hosts have kept just one clean sheet in their last seven, but have scored 13 in the same period.  Brighton are winless in four, which includes two draws. They have only scored two goals in this stretch, though. The recent return of Joao Pedro has handed them a boost, however, as his eight goals stills leads the way this season. Bournemouth have an excellent attacking threat in Dominic Solanke, who has scored 18.  Only three players have scored more in the Premier League this season.

Since 2019, these two sides have met six times in the Premier League.  It is Brighton who have dominated this head-to-head, with four wins to Bournemouth’s two.  One of the Cherries’ victories was a huge 5-0 win away from home, in which five different players were on the scoresheet. The reverse fixture earlier this season was won 3-1 by the Seagulls at the Amex.  Solanke had given the visitors a first half lead, but Milos Kerkez converted into his own net on the stroke of half time to level the score. Kaoru Mitoma struck shortly after the restart to put his side ahead, before he added a second late on to put the game to bed.

Bournemouth

Marcus Tavernier and Ryan Fredericks have been ruled out for the season, whilst Luis Sinisterra is facing a race against time to play again in this campaign due to a thigh strain. 

Brighton

Brighton could be boosted by the returns of Adam Webster, James Milner and Billy Gilmour. Julio Enciso, Tariq Lamptey and Pervis Enstupinan are out.

Bournemouth
In their last five games, Bournemouth have won two, lost two and drawn one.  It has been a good stretch for Bournemouth, though a little inconsistent. The first game of this run was a 2-1 win against Everton. It was late jubilation for the home fans, as Seamus Coleman inadvertently converted the ball into his own net in second half stoppage time after Beto thought he had salvaged a point for the Toffees following Dominic Solanke’s opener. They made it two wins in a row with a narrow 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at the Vitality Stadium. There was not much to split the two sides at all in possession, though the hosts just edged it and attempted more shots. A Justin Kluivert goal in the 79th minute proved to be the difference.   

They then faced Luton at Kenilworth Road and fell to a 2-1 loss late on. The visitors took the lead shortly after the restart through Marcus Tavernier, but the Hatters equalised with less than 20 minutes to go with a strike from Jordan Clark. The game seemed to be headed for a draw, but Carlton Morris scored at the death to send the Bournemouth fans home unhappy. This preceded another home fixture with Manchester United, a game which ended 2-2. The hosts were the much superior side in terms of shot creation and production, attempting 20 to their opponents’ eight, however United edged the possession. The Cherries went ahead early through Solanke, but this was cancelled out by Bruno Fernandes just past the half hour mark. The lead was regained before half-time thanks to a Kluivert strike, but the points were shared as Fernandes grabbed his second from the penalty spot, after the referee awarded a controversial penalty.

Last time out they travelled to face Champions League battling Aston Villa, in which they lost 3-1 despite going ahead through Solanke.  Before they host Brighton at the weekend, they will take on Wolves at Molineux on Wednesday night.

Brighton
In their last five games, Brighton have won one, drawn two and lost two. It has been a difficult stretch for Brighton in which they have found wins hard to come by. Their only win of this run came at the beginning, and it was in the second leg of the Europa League Round of 16 against Roma. In the first leg they had lost 4-0, so with the tie all but over, they were merely playing for pride. They were able to pick up a 1-0 win courtesy of a Danny Welbeck strike in the first half.
A return to Premier League action resulted in a 2-1 loss at Anfield against Liverpool, even though the Seagulls took a very early lead. Welbeck netted in the second minute, but this was cancelled out by Luis Diaz just before the half hour mark.  Liverpool were able to take all three points as Mo Salah scored a second half winner. More dropped points followed in their next game when they drew 0-0 away at Brentford. Brighton were much the better side, with 24 attempts to the Bees’ five, whilst also enjoying 67% possession. However, neither side could find the breakthrough with it ending in a stalemate. The search for a league win continued as they took on another title challenger in Arsenal.  It ended in a dominant victory for the Gunners, as Brighton lost 3-0. Bukayo Saka started the scoring from the penalty spot, before the lead was doubled by Kai Havertz. Former Seagulls winger Leandro Trossard completed the scoring.
Their most recent game was a trip to relegation battling Burnley, but they could only come away with a point from a 1-1 draw. The goals came late, with Josh Brownhill putting the hosts in front with 16 minutes to go. The equaliser was scored by goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, who converted into his own net. Before they travel to Bournemouth at the weekend, they host league leaders Manchester City on Thursday night.

Both teams have been inconsistent of late, with any result a real possibility in this game. However, we expect the hosts to use the home advantage in their favour and edge a narrow victory - Bournemouth 2-1 Brighton

Bournemouth vs Brighton will not be available to watch on TV in the UK.