The Premier League returns from the international break this upcoming weekend with a heavy fixture list on Saturday, November 22. An in-form West Ham side travel south to pay a visit to a Bournemouth side who are on the back of two consecutive blowout defeats. Here’s our full pre-match analysis and breakdown, including team news, player injuries, predicted starting lineups, tactical preview, key stats, and betting tips. Find our Bournemouth vs West Ham prediction below!
Odds:
| Bournemouth | Draw | West Ham | |
| American | -164 | +320 | +400 |
| Decimal | 1.61 | 4.20 | 5.00 |
| Fractional | 61/100 | 16/5 | 4/1 |
Previous Five Head-to-Head Matches (All Competitions)
For a full look at Bournemouth and West Ham’s head-to-head record, visit FotMob here.
In recent history, this fixture has been nearly as closely contested as it gets with four of their five previous meetings ending in draws; all four of their previous meetings in the Premier League have ended level. West Ham did manage to knock the Cherries out of the EFL Cup last August with a 1-0 victory at home.
Bournemouth Injuries and Team News
Bournemouth are heading into this match on the back of two consecutive heavy defeats. A 3-1 loss to Manchester City followed up by a 4-0 thrashing from Aston Villa.
Bournemouth’s talisman Antoine Semenyo picked up a minor hamstring injury during the international break with Ghana and has returned to the south coast to be evaluated further by the club. It remains unclear whether the winger will be available for selection on Saturday.
Injuries: Adam Smith, Justin Kluivert, Enes Ünal, and Matai Akinmboni will all be unavailable for the Cherries this weekend, with Antoine Semenyo still questionable at this time.
West Ham Injuries and Team News
West Ham have finally found some form and, with it, some confidence. Prior to the international break, they secured back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since February 2025 – a 3-1 victory over Newcastle followed by a 3-2 win over Burnley.
Lucas Paquetá, West Ham’s best and most creative player, will miss this Saturday’s match after receiving a suspension due to yellow-card accumulation. This is a massive blow for the Hammers.
Injuries: Niclas Füllkrug, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Oliver Scarles, and Lucas Paquetá (suspension) will all be unavailable for West Ham this weekend.
Predicted Starting Lineups
Bournemouth Lineup Notes
With Kluivert unavailable, David Brooks appears the most likely replacement on the right wing. If Semenyo is fit, he should start on the left, with Tavernier then shifting into a central attacking midfield role.
Adam Smith remains sidelined, leaving Álex Jiménez as the likely starter at right-back.
Nineteen-year-old Eli-Junior Kroupi has impressed early in his Bournemouth career, scoring four goals in nine appearances across all competitions. Either Kroupi or Evanilson could get the nod to lead the line against West Ham.
Bournemouth are expected to line up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation.
West Ham Lineup Notes
Lucas Paquetá will miss Saturday’s fixture due to his one-match ban, with veteran Tomáš Souček the likely replacement in midfield.
Freddie Potts has fit in well as West Ham’s holding midfielder, though he is still managing a slight injury. He is expected to start but may not be able to complete the full 90 minutes.
West Ham will likely use their familiar 4-3-3 setup, which can transition into a 4-1-4-1 defensive shape when out of possession.
Match Preview
Bournemouth are on a two-match losing streak, while West Ham enter on a two-match winning run. Bournemouth will be looking to continue their impressive home form and get back to winning ways when they face a struggling West Ham side at the Vitality Stadium.
Bournemouth’s Press
Bournemouth like to push high up the pitch and press aggressively when their opponents attempt to build from the back. Tyler Adams and Alex Scott step forward from their holding midfield roles to block off central passing options. Bournemouth utilize a cohesive man-marking pressing scheme, with players rotating and alternating markers to ensure every opponent is covered. [See images below]
The primary objective of their press is to force the opposition long, where Bournemouth look to win the initial aerial duel or collect the second ball.
West Ham are not particularly strong at playing out from the back, and when faced with an intense press, they typically choose to go long in order to avoid mistakes in their defensive third. With Bournemouth’s pressing system being so cohesive, well-orchestrated, and effective, it is likely that West Ham will go long often – losing possession frequently to Bournemouth’s back line and midfield, who look to win aerial duels or reclaim the second balls.
Because of this, West Ham will struggle to work the ball up the pitch and will likely concede possession repeatedly in their attempts to bypass the press. Bournemouth should be favoured to win the possession battle and, more importantly, will often regain the ball high up the pitch, giving them opportunities to attack from already advanced positions.
West Ham’s Build-Up
As noted, when West Ham are suffocated by an opposition press, they often resort to going long to bypass the pressure. But when they do attempt to build from the back and progress the ball, they frequently use the outside lanes, involving attack-minded fullbacks and central midfielders who drift wide to create overloads.
The downside to this setup is that with multiple players positioned near the touchline, West Ham often leave the central midfield areas unoccupied if possession is lost. This opens them up to dangerous central transitions from their opponents and Bournemouth have the quality in midfield to exploit these gaps.
Bournemouth’s Counter-Attacks
Bournemouth’s counter-attacking threat is well known. The Cherries currently have the most goals scored from counter-attacks in the Premier League, with five. [See image below]
They possess significant pace on the break and look to advance up the pitch as quickly as possible. West Ham lack pace and at times appear short on energy, which makes defending Bournemouth’s counter-attacks a major challenge. With fullbacks Wan-Bissaka and Diouf pushing high to support attacks, West Ham are often left with only two or three defenders behind, none of whom possess elite recovery speed. Bournemouth’s counters thrive on directness and rapid forward movement, which should cause West Ham issues.
Bournemouth’s Attack vs West Ham’s Defensive Shape
West Ham defend in a 4-1-4-1 shape, with their wingers dropping into the midfield line. [See image below]
West Ham defend narrowly, looking to take away the central areas of the pitch. This will work well for the Cherries as Bournemouth’s attacking style of play, when in controlled possession, centres around looking to operate in the outside lanes of the pitch before either working the ball centrally, putting in a hard, whipped cross, or cutting the ball back into the centre of the penalty area for an attacker to run onto. [See image below]
Although West Ham defend narrowly, they do defend quite stretched vertically, often leaving space between their lines for their opposition to play and progress through.
The Midfield Battle
With West Ham defending in a way that leaves vertical gaps between their lines, Bournemouth’s midfielders will have ample opportunities to receive the ball, play progressive passes, or drive forward into space and bypass West Ham’s midfield line.
Defensively, Bournemouth’s midfield looks to tackle aggressively and swarm the ball carrier. West Ham can find success if they locate the right passes under pressure, but with their best player – and key central midfielder – Lucas Paquetá unavailable, they will likely lose the midfield battle. West Ham should struggle both to break through Bournemouth’s midfield line and to contain Bournemouth’s midfielders when they look to progress the ball centrally.
Bournemouth vs West Ham Prediction
I do think that Bournemouth will come out on top in this fixture; I am predicting a Bournemouth win.
Betting Tips
Pick: Bournemouth Win
Odds:
- American: -164
- Decimal: 1.61
- Fractional: 61/100
This will be a very pacey, direct, and fast-breaking Bournemouth side hosting a slow and poor West Ham team. I think Bournemouth will dominate West Ham in the midfield battle, create opportunities through their attacking and progressive play in the wide areas, and, if West Ham attempt to build out from the back, it could lead to severe consequences given Bournemouth’s pressing structure.
The inclusion or exclusion of Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo will play a major role in the match, as his counter-attacking ability is vital to this Bournemouth side. However, even if Semenyo is not fit to play, the absence of Lucas Paquetá leaves an equally significant hole in West Ham’s system.
I am backing the Cherries to get back to winning ways at home.
Pick: Bournemouth Win
Disclaimer: The betting picks and analysis shared are for informational purposes only and are not guarantees of outcome or financial advice. Please gamble responsibly and only risk money you are willing to lose.
