The curtains will fall on Gameweek 9 of the 2025/26 season on Sunday. The action on the day starts with four simultaneous matches, including Bournemouth vs Nottingham Forest at the Vitality Stadium, before ending with the clash between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur.
The 2025/26 season has witnessed many surprise packages, with Bournemouth among those. The Cherries entered Gameweek 9 in the top four after losing only one game thus far. That defeat came on the opening night of the ongoing campaign, with Liverpool escaping with three points. Since then, Andoni Iraola’s men have been on a seven-match unbeaten run, with the latest result a hard-fought 3-3 stalemate with Crystal Palace.
On the other hand, Nottingham Forest may have become a butt of jokes in the 2025/26 season after already parting ways with two managers. Sean Dyche has taken over at the Midlands club this week, and the team responded with a 2-0 win over FC Porto in the UEFA Europa League. The Tricky Trees will now be eager to find some semblance of stability under the English tactician.
The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 5-0 win for Bournemouth, with Dango Ouattara scoring a match-winning hat-trick. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Andoni Iraola has received a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Bournemouth manager may be bereft of the services of only three first-team players vs Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
David Brooks is closing in on returning from a hamstring issue, and he faces a late fitness test to determine his availability. Additionally, Julio Soler is back in contention after his involvement in the Under-20 World Cup. However, Evanilson (calf) and Enes Unal (knee) remain in the treatment room, although they should be back soon.
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 Nottingham Forest on Sunday. The backline will feature Alex Jimenez, Bafode Diakite, Marcos Senesi, and Adrien Truffert.
As for the midfield unit, Tyler Adams will pair up with Alex Scott in the double pivot, with Justin Kluivert reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Marcus Tavernier and Antoine Semenyo will be the two wide attackers, with Eli Junior Kroupi continuing to lead the line for Bournemouth against Nottingham Forest in Evanilson’s absence.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Jimenez, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert; Adams, Scott; Tavernier, Kluivert, Semenyo; Kroupi
Unlike his counterpart in the Bournemouth dugout, Sean Dyche has a new injury concern that is hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to the Vitality Stadium. The Nottingham Forest manager may be without four first-team players on Sunday.
Dyche is sweating over Oleksandr Zinchenko’s fitness after he sustained a groin injury against FC Porto. Chris Wood’s availability is also uncertain due to a knee problem. Meanwhile, Ola Aina (hamstring) and Dilane Bakwa (knock) remain in the treatment room.
Matz Sels will take his spot between the sticks, with Nottingham Forest lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Bournemouth. The backline will feature Nicolo Savona, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, and Neco Williams.
As for the midfield unit, Douglas Luiz will likely pair up with Elliot Anderson in the double pivot. Morgan Gibbs-White will reprise the no. 10 role, and he will often drop into deeper areas out of possession. Finally, Igor Jesus will spearhead the Nottingham Forest attack against Bournemouth, with Callum Hudson-Odoi and Dan Ndoye being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Savona, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Luiz; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus
While Chris Wood, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Eli Junior Kroupi were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Antoine Semenyo as the Player to Watch for Sunday’s Premier League clash between Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest at the Vitality Stadium.
The Ghanaian international has been exceptional thus far in the 2025/26 season, and only Erling Haaland (12) has been involved in more Premier League goals than him this term (9 – G6 A3). The London-born attacker has also scored in his last two games against Nottingham Forest. So, Semenyo will be the go-to player in the final third for Andoni Iraola on Sunday.
Nottingham Forest may have shown signs of experiencing the “new manager bounce” in the 2-0 win over FC Porto. However, the match also displayed the lack of cohesion in offensive moves, although winning and scoring two penalties was a significant positive.
Meanwhile, toppling an in-form Bournemouth will be a tall order, considering Andoni Iraola has forged a team that has become hard to beat, even for the best of Premier League teams. So, while the away side will give the cherries a run for their money, they will not have enough quality to clinch the much-desired three points. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Iraola and his charges.
