Overview
Last season, Bournemouth achieved the best result in their history of participating in the Premier League, when coach Andoni Iraola led The Cherries to finish in 9th place. He equalled the record set by Eddie Howe - now Newcastle captain - in 2016-2017.
After that impressive campaign, Bournemouth continued to attract attention in the opening period of the 2025-2026 season with 3 wins after 4 rounds.
They started with a narrow 2-4 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, despite making an excellent 2-2 equalizer after falling 2 goals behind. The late goals of Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah brought victory to the defending champions.
However, The Cherries reacted strongly, defeating Wolves (1-0), Tottenham Hotspur (1-0) and Brighton & Hove Albion (2-1), thereby rising to 4th place in the Premier League rankings.
Welcoming Newcastle this weekend, Iraola and his team have reason to be confident, because they are unbeaten in their last 5 encounters with the "Magpies". That includes two wins, including a resounding 4-1 win at St James' Park last season.
Newcastle will travel to Vitality in the context of a rather difficult start to the new season. Eddie Howe's team has only had one win after five games in all competitions, in addition to two draws and two losses.
The Magpies have gone through the first 3 rounds of the Premier League without knowing the taste of victory, extending their winless streak to 11 matches (including the end of last season and the summer friendly series). It was not until Nick Woltemade shone with a goal on his debut that Newcastle could end the disappointing streak with a 1-0 victory over Wolves.
However, their excitement was quickly extinguished when they lost 1-2 to Barcelona at St James' Park in the opening match of the Champions League, in which Marcus Rashford scored a double.
Visiting Bournemouth, Newcastle aim to win their first victory against this opponent since the 1-0 victory in the Carabao Cup in December 2022. At the same time, the "Magpies" also want to end a streak of not winning at Vitality for 5 years, since the heavy 1-4 defeat in July 2020.
Personnel situation
Bournemouth continues to suffer losses as Enes Unal is still absent for a long time due to a knee injury. Adam Smith has also not been able to return after suffering a hamstring injury in the win over Tottenham, meaning James Hill will continue to take on the right-back position.
Bafode Diakite and Ryan Christie are still doubtful to feature after missing Brighton, but Bournemouth are optimistic about the duo's chances of making the appearance. Meanwhile, new signing Veljko Milosavljevic impressed on his debut and will likely continue to be given priority to start alongside Marco Senesi.
In midfield, Alex Scott will pair up with Tyler Adams, while the attack line promises to explode with the quartet Antoine Semenyo, Marcus Tavernier, David Brooks and Evanilson.
On Newcastle's side, rookie Yoane Wissa is still unable to debut due to injury, while Jacob Ramsey is definitely absent. Anthony Gordon, who scored the only goal against Barcelona, was also unable to participate due to suspension after a red card in the match against Liverpool.
Therefore, Harvey Barnes, Nick Woltemade and Anthony Elanga are likely to lead the attack.
Newcastle's defense also faced personnel problems when Kieran Trippier and Fabian Schar were injured in the loss to Barcelona. Tino Livramento could be moved to right-back, while Lewis Hall has the opportunity to make his first appearance this season on the left wing.
Expected lineup:
Bournemouth: Petrovic, Hill, Milosavljevic, Senesi, Truffert, Adams, Scott, Semenyo, Tavernier, Brooks, Evanilson.
Newcastle: Pope, Livramento, Thiaw, Burn, Hall, Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton, Elanga, Woltemade, Barnes.
The match between Bournemouth and Newcastle takes place at 20:00 on September 21 (Vietnam time).
