There is a particular despair that accompanies the eight-match winless run. Bournemouth know it intimately now, having watched December unfold in shades of grey rather than the technicolour their early season form promised.
Brentford, meanwhile, have rediscovered something that looked lost just weeks ago. The 2-0 victory at Molineux felt like more than three points—it felt like permission to believe again.
These two clubs share more than a kickoff time. They share a philosophy that says smaller clubs can think bigger, that recruitment intelligence can compensate for financial muscle, that the Premier League isn't just a playground for the super-rich.
Keane Lewis-Potter has emerged as Brentford's December hero. Two goals at Wolves followed a purple patch that has transformed him from squad player to starting certainty. The former Hull City man always possessed the raw materials; Thomas Frank has finally found the combination that unlocks them.
Antoine Semenyo offers Bournemouth their best hope of ending the barren run. The Ghana international returned from international duty with confidence intact, his movement and finishing remaining sharp even as teammates have struggled. Twenty goal involvements in 2025 tell the story of a player operating at career-best levels.
The head-to-head suggests Brentford hold the psychological advantage. Four consecutive victories over the Cherries, with goals scored in double figures across those meetings. Both teams to score has landed in each encounter, a pattern that speaks to attacking intent on both sides but defensive fragility too.
Bournemouth haven't won since October. Let that sink in. A side that began the campaign dreaming of European qualification now looks over its shoulder at the bottom three. Seven draws from seventeen matches speaks to a team that can compete but cannot close, that creates but cannot kill.
Ryan Christie returns to Brentford's matchday squad after injury, offering additional creative options for a home side that has struggled for consistency but now senses opportunity. The festive fixture list can be salvation or damnation—Brentford appear determined to make it the former.
Somewhere in this ninety minutes lies Bournemouth's season. Win, and the narrative shifts back toward ambition. Lose, and the questions become existential. Football, in its purest form, offers no middle ground.
