As the Premier League returns from the final international break of 2025, AFC Bournemouth welcome West Ham United to the Vitality Stadium in a clash that pits south-coast resilience against east-London revival. Andoni Iraola's Cherries have been one of the season's early surprises, but back-to-back defeats have halted their momentum, while Nuno Espírito Santo's Hammers are riding the wave of consecutive victories that have dragged them out of the relegation mire.
Unfortunately, West Ham will be without one of their best players as Lucas Paquetá will have to sit out this match after accumulating 5 yellow cards. Nuno will no doubt deploy Mateus Fernandes as his number 10 and start Tomas Soucek alongside Freddie Potts if he’s healthy enough to play. Potts had received a knock in his last match, but after 2 weeks of rest, he may be ready to go.
Bournemouth sit 9th with around 18 points from 11 games, having taken an impressive 13 points from their first five home matches – only Manchester City boasts a better record on their own patch this term. However, heavy away losses to Manchester City and Aston Villa (conceding seven goals combined) exposed some defensive frailties before the break.
West Ham, under new manager Nuno (appointed in September after a dismal start), languish in 18th but are now just goal difference from safety after back-to-back home wins over Newcastle (3-1) and Burnley (3-2). The international hiatus came at the worst possible time for the Irons, who have lost all three Premier League games immediately following breaks this season.
The Hammers remain Bournemouth's bogey team. West Ham are unbeaten in their last nine competitive meetings with the Cherries (W4 D5), including a win in the Summer Series pre-season tournament. Bournemouth's last victory over West Ham came way back in January 2019, and they haven't beaten the Londoners at home since then either.
Whether history will come into play or not against Bournemouth isn’t a certainty, but fans should feel encouraged. There’s more on the line for West Ham as a win or tie may pull them out of the bottom 3 for the first time all season. Once the Hammers are out of the relegation zone, breathing will become easier once again.