AFC Bournemouth vs West Bromwich Albion Predictions

• Bournemouth have won seven of their last 11 home league games
• The Cherries conceded in eight of their last nine Championship matches

Will Cherries’ move pay off?

Bournemouth made a major move during the summer as they chased after Scott Parker, taking the former Fulham boss to the South Coast to lead their rebuilding job. He’s now going to be battling his former side for promotion, alongside West Brom.

The Baggies have appointed Valerien Ismael after dropping into the Championship and his impressive season with Barnsley last time out makes West Brom an exciting side to watch. They are likely to feature along with Bournemouth towards the top of the division, but who will win this early showdown?

Brooks looking sharp

A big boost for Bournemouth is that they held onto a lot of their talent last season and they’ve kept big names for another tilt at promotion. A player like David Brooks is classy enough to make the step up already, but he’s set to feature in Bournemouth’s front three as Parker sets out his side for the first time in the Championship.

Brooks already scored twice in a 5-0 win over MK Dons last weekend in the Carabao Cup and we’re backing him to make an impact this week. He’ll be asked to provide more attacking returns this term and he’s already among the goals, so we’re backing the Welshman to find the net on Friday.

Bournemouth to edge it

While both sides are coming into this one with new managers I don’t see West Brom being as far along as Bournemouth. Parker showed how adaptable he is with Fulham last season and he should be able to quickly get the best out of his players for this clash. His squad are settled with few major departures or arrivals this summer, although adding Emiliano Marcondes looks like a great move for the Cherries.

Meanwhile, West Brom have an older squad who are trying to adapt to Ismael’s high-intensity style of play. That could cause teething problems to start, especially in a tough visit to the Vitality. The Baggies have been weakened by the sale of Matheus Pereira and despite adding four players it’s tough to replace a player of that quality. The Cherries have won seven of their last 11 home league games and we’re backing them to make the perfect start on Friday night.

However, West Brom have scored in all of their preseason games so far and they face a Bournemouth defence which conceded in eight of their final nine matches of last season. Given that run, a 2-1 home win is our correct score prediction.

• Bournemouth have won their last two home meetings with West Brom
• Both teams to score has been a winning bet in four of West Brom’s last six Championship games

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