Bournemouth’s best piece of business over the summer may well have been retaining the services of Alex Scott, and I’m backing the midfielder to attempt 2+ shots against Brentford on Saturday.

The Bournemouth ace was his side’s standout performer in last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Newcastle, producing a real all-action display at St James’ Park.

Scott fired off 2 shots in that game, having also registered multiple efforts in Bournemouth’s previous Premier League home match against Everton, with one of those finding the back of the net.

While Scott averaged 1.38 shots per game in the Premier League last season, that figure was on a steep upward curve towards the end of the campaign.

Indeed, he let fly on multiple occasions in 6 of his final 7 league appearances at the Vitality last term.

Brentford are not overly attack-minded, with Sunderland winning the shot count in last weekend’s 1-1 draw at the Gtech, further supporting this selection.

Back Justin Kluivert to be fouled at least once during Bournemouth’s clash with Brentford on Saturday.

The Dutchman has started the season brightly for the Cherries and is already attracting plenty of attention from opponents. 

Kluivert has been fouled in each of his three Premier League appearances this term, including 3 times away at Newcastle last weekend.

Those numbers should come as no surprise given that he averaged 0.95 fouls drawn per game in the Premier League last season and 1.26 during the campaign before that.

He was also fouled twice while representing the Netherlands at the World Cup earlier this summer, despite playing just 26 minutes across two substitute appearances.

Kluivert is likely to operate in areas patrolled by Brentford duo Mamadou Sangare and Vitaly Janelt, who have committed a sizeable 14 fouls between them across six Premier League appearances this season.

While I’m backing Bournemouth to avoid defeat on Saturday, I don’t have complete faith in them to keep a clean sheet, which is why I’m also siding with both teams to score.

BTTS has been a running theme across Bournemouth’s opening three Premier League games of the season, with both sides obliging in each of those matches.

The Cherries were also reliable for BTTS backers last term, with this selection landing in 25 of their 38 league games, including 12 of their 19 assignments at the Vitality.

As for Brentford, they have failed to keep a clean sheet in either of their last two Premier League outings, drawing 1-1 with both Leeds and Sunderland. 

That further strengthens the case for both teams to score, and another 1-1 draw would not come as a huge surprise on the south coast.

I think Bournemouth can extend their impressive home record when Brentford visit the Vitality on Saturday afternoon.

The Cherries suffered just two defeats across their 19 Premier League home games last season, matching the best record in the division, and they are now unbeaten in 10 on their own patch.

That does not bode well for a Brentford side that did the majority of their best work at the Gtech last term.

The Bees lost 10 of their 19 top-flight road trips, so backing them to bring Bournemouth’s lengthy unbeaten run to an end holds little appeal.

However, the Cherries have drawn their fair share of games across that sequence, meaning another stalemate cannot be ruled out here.

With that in mind, Bournemouth on the double chance looks like a sensible selection.

Adam Smith should retain his place on the right side of Bournemouth’s defence after starting all three league matches this term, but he will have a tough matchup against Brentford’s Kevin Schade.

The Bees did well to retain the services of the German international, as he is probably their most direct and enterprising player. Keane Lewis-Potter also often looks to support him in the final third, meaning that left flank sees plenty of involvement. 

Adam Smith should have plenty of defensive work to get through at the Vitality Stadium, and he has landed this selection in all three league matches so far. That includes two fouls and a booking against Newcastle last time out.

It hasn’t been the best start to the season for Aston Villa, but they did at least pick up their first win midweek after beating Club Brugge in the Champions League. Emi Buendia played a key role and got on the scoresheet, so he should be full of confidence this weekend.

The Argentine international has been featuring in an advanced midfield role, operating centrally which means he typically sees plenty of the ball. He is adept when it comes to dribbling and beating his marker, meaning Buendia has drawn ten fouls in his five starts across all competitions this season. Even in the previous campaign, he had an average of 2.1 fouls drawn per 90.

John McGinn has played a bit wider this season, out on the right wing. The Scottish international hasn’t quite been at his best, and he has 11 fouls in five starts, picking up a booking in four of those. He will eb directly up against Neco Williams this weekend, and that is a matchup to keep tabs on. 

Williams sees plenty of the ball from wingback, and he has been fouled eight times in four matches across all competitions this season - no Forest player has won more free-kicks. He is given plenty of freedom in that wingback role to push forward into advanced areas, and he is adept at drawing contact in dangerous areas.

Julio Enciso has started the season positively, showing real promise in that advanced midfield role for Ipswich. He has landed this selection in all three league starts so far, averaging 2.15 fouls drawn per 90. 

He will come up against an aggressive Crystal Palace midfield this weekend - notably Quentin Timber who recently arrived at Selhurst Park. The Dutchman is still adapting to life in England, and he has committed exactly two infringements against Fulham and Middlesbrough, respectively. Once again, he will be tested. Enciso is a player who likes having the ball at his feet - he can be quite selfish at times, but that works in favour for this bet.

Hull have been the surprise package of the season so far, and this is a clash between third and fourth - two teams who have started the season strong. The Tigers are massive underdogs at Stamford Bridge, and this looks set to be another tough test for them - they will have to sit deep and be resilient. Oli McBurnie will have a role to play up front, looking to win his aerial duels, hold up and ball and make life difficult for the Chelsea defenders. 

Wesley Fofana will be tasked with trying to press forward into Hull’s half, and win the ball back quickly to sustain pressure. McBurnie can be a difficult opponent to face - he likes to be aggressive and fly into challenges, so Fofana could be called into action plenty of times even if Chelsea dominate possession. The Frenchman was fouled twice in his last Premier League start, which was against Arsenal. 

Marcus Tavernier bagged his second goal of the season against Newcastle last time out, after also getting on the scoresheet against Man City.

However, the Cherries are still yet to record a victory in the Premier League this campaign, so they will need Tavernier to maintain his form. The 27-year-old has racked up nine shots in three starts this season, including five efforts against Newcastle last time out, with four of those hitting the target. 

Tavernier has been deployed on the left side of Marco Rose’s front three, and he is given a massive responsibility in the final third. He strikes the ball cleanly from distance, so is given free-kick duties for Bournemouth. 

Neco Williams has been given plenty of attacking freedom from wingback since Oliver Glasner arrived at Nottingham Forest. The Welshman often finds himself in promising positions in the final third, and he has shown a willingness to pull the trigger when the space opens up. 

Williams was unfortunate not to score against Spurs last weekend, with his second-half effort disallowed following a VAR review. However, he had landed this selection against both Leeds and Liverpool prior to that. He also won a penalty against his former club, Liverpool, at Anfield, which shows just how important he is going forward. Last season, Williams had an average of 1.31 shots per 90 across all competitions, but that figure is likely to rise this campaign.

Dominik Szoboszlai continued his excellent start to the season by scoring Liverpool’s equaliser against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. The Hungarian international reacted sharply inside the penalty area before finding the net, helping Iraola’s side recover from an early setback.

Szoboszlai remains a consistent threat from open play, but perhaps his greatest strength is his set-piece ability. He scored the most free-kicks in the Premier League last season, while also being the designated penalty taker for the Reds. There should be plenty of chances for Liverpool this weekend, and Szoboszlai is one to target.

Oscar Bobb should be an important attacking outlet for Fulham at Anfield, where the visitors are likely to find their best opportunities on the counter. The Norwegian has been starting out on the right wing this season, and a significant weakness of Liverpool is their fullbacks. A lot of teams are finding success down their right wing, which makes Bobb a target. 

The former Man City man had three shots against Crystal Palace last time out, with one of those hitting the target. He links well with Josh King in the final third, and Bobb will hope to exploit space left when Milos Kerkez marauds forward from left back.

Julio Enciso has accounted for almost half of Ipswich’s total shots in the Premier League this season - the Tractor Boys have racked up 33 attempts in total, ad Enciso has accounted for 12 of those. That includes three shots against Sunderland in gameweek one, followed by three shots against Man United, and six efforts against Liverpool last time out.

The Paraguay internaitonal has established himself as the most important player for Ipswich in the final third, operating in an advanced midfield role, and he will look to make the difference against Crystal Palace again here. The Eagles have looked a shadow of their former selves, and Ipswich will hope to bounce back from their defeat against Liverpool last weekend.