Bournemouth will be eager to arrest the recent slide and return to winning ways when they host West Ham United at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.

The 2025/26 Premier League season will resume this weekend, with the final international break of the year ending this week. The latest round of fixtures starts with the game between Burnley and Chelsea at Turf Moor before Saturday’s action continues with five simultaneous matches, including Bournemouth vs West Ham United at the Vitality Stadium.

Bournemouth began the 2025/26 season strongly despite the 4-2 defeat to Liverpool on the opening night. Andoni Iraola’s men were on a roll until Gameweek 10. However, successive defeats to Manchester City and Aston Villa have dropped them from second to ninth in the Premier League standings, thus demonstrating the brutality of dropping points in the top flight.

On the other hand, West Ham United may have started showing signs of a turnaround, with Nuno Espirito Santo finally getting his ideas across to the squad. The Hammers clinched successive victories heading into November’s international break. While the visitors are still in the relegation zone, they are only behind 17th-placed Burnley on goal difference. So, more positive results can get the East London outfit away from the bottom three.

Bournemouth came from a goal down to hold West Ham United to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture last season, with Enes Unal scoring a late winner. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Bournemouth

Andoni Iraola has been grappling with several injury concerns ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Bournemouth manager may be bereft of the services of as many as half a dozen first-team players vs West Ham United on Saturday.

Iraola has been sweating over the fitness of Adam Smith (concussion), Tyler Adams (head), Justin Kluivert (muscular), and Antoine Semenyo (ankle). The quartet will face late fitness tests to determine their availability. However, Ben Doak (hamstring) and Matai Akinmboni are in the treatment room.

Djordje Petrovic is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Bournemouth lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs West Ham United on Saturday. The backline will feature Lewis Cook, Bafode Diakite, Marcos Senesi, and Adrien Truffert.

As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Alex Scott and Tyler Adams in the double pivot. However, Cook will line up alongside Scott in the middle of the park if Adams is not fit enough; Alex Jimenez will then start as the right-back. David Brooks will reprise the no. 10 role, with Marcus Tavernier and Antoine Semenyo being the two wide attackers. Finally, Eli Junior Kroupi will lead the line for Bournemouth against West Ham United.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Cook, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert; Scott, Adams; Semenyo, Brooks, Tavernier; El Junior Kroupi

West Ham United

Like his counterpart in the Bournemouth dugout, Nuno Espirito Santo has new issues hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to the Vitality Stadium. The West Ham United manager may be without as many as six first-team players on Saturday.

Lucas Paqueta is the latest absentee after picking up his fifth booking of the 2025/26 season. Additionally, Oliver Scarles is in the treatment room due to a shoulder injury. Meanwhile, Nuno has been sweating over the fitness of Lukasz Fabianski (lower back), Freddie Potts (hamstring), Konstantinos Mavropanos (thigh), and Niclas Fullkrug (hamstring). The quartet will face late fitness tests to determine their availability.

Alphonse Areola will retain his spot between the sticks, with West Ham United lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Bournemouth on Saturday. The backline will feature Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman, and El Hadji Malick Diouf.

As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Tomas Soucek, Freddie Potts, and Mateus Fernandes. Finally, Callum Wilson will spearhead the West Ham United attack against Bournemouth on Saturday, with Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen being the two wide attackers.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Diouf; Soucek, Potts, Fernandes; Bowen, Wilson, Summerville

Key Stats

• Bournemouth are winless in their last eight Premier League games vs West Ham United (D5 L3), with the four most recent meetings ending level. The Hammers have only failed to score in one of their 16 Premier League outings against Bournemouth, a 2-0 defeat at the Vitality Stadium in January 2019.
• Bournemouth have won four of their five Premier League home games this season (D1), as many as their final 12 at the Vitality Stadium in the 2024/25 campaign (W4 D3 L5). The Cherries (13) have only racked up fewer points at home in the Premier League this term than Manchester City (15).
• West Ham United have won their last two Premier League games, and they are looking to win three successive games in the top flight for the first time since December 2023. On the other hand, Bournemouth have lost their two most recent Premier League clashes, having only lost one of their first nine of the season beforehand (W5 D3). The Cherries last lost three consecutive Premier League fixtures in May 2024.
• Bournemouth’s opposition passes per defensive action (PPDA) in the Premier League this season is 9.7, the lowest rate of any side in 2025/26, showing their intense pressing style. The Cherries also rank second in the division this term for high turnovers (83).
• Only Bruno Fernandes (34.2%) and Erling Haaland (32.9%) have been directly involved in a higher proportion of their side’s shots in the Premier League this term than Jarrod Bowen (32.2%), who has had a hand in 37 of West Ham United’s 115 efforts (26 shots, 11 chances created).

Player to Watch

Antoine Semenyo

While Jarrod Bowen, Mateus Fernandes, and Eli Junior Kroupi were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Antoine Semenyo as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Bournemouth and West Ham United at the Vitality Stadium.

The Bournemouth attacker’s form has been on the downslide in the last few weeks, as up until October’s international break, only Erling Haaland (10) had been directly involved in more Premier League goals this term than him (9 – 6 goals, 3 assists).

However, since then, Semenyo has gone four Premier League games without a goal or an assist. The Ghanaian international was averaging 2.4 shots and 1.4 chances created per game in the competition before the October break. However, that has fallen to 1.5 shots and 0.3 chances created per game since. Andoni Iraola will hope Semenyo rediscovers his best touch to guide the team back to winning ways.

Prediction

Bournemouth 2-1 West Ham United

Bournemouth may have lost two successive matches before November’s international break. However, they have been imperious at the Vitality Stadium, with only Manchester City amassing more points at home this season. So, while West Ham United will take the game to the Cherries, they may fall short of continuing the recent winning run.

Jarrod Bowen will be the torchbearer for West Ham’s continued unbeaten streak, but Antoine Semenyo will return to his best to guide Bournemouth to a hard-fought victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Andoni Iraola and his charges.