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• Iraola happy to keep benefitting from late drama

  Andoni Iraola says he does not mind Bournemouth being involved in late drama, as long as it benefits them ahead of their Premier League meeting with Chelsea.

  The Cherries mounted a superb comeback before the international break, going from 2-0 down in the 86th minute to beat Everton 3-2.

  It means Bournemouth are unbeaten in the league so far this season, having drawn their first two games, leaving them eighth in the early standings.

  And despite all three of their matches so far containing late goals, Iraola brushed off the idea that it was a new trend for his team.

  "I think past season it was kind of similar," Iraola told the Daily Echo.

  "We lost a lot of points in games that we were winning. We had very good comebacks, and we recovered a lot of points in games that we were losing.

  "That's the reason why for us, the subs are so important, because at the end, probably you will find more chances playing the last 25 minutes than the previous minutes because in the first half, everyone is fresh, it's more difficult to make one against ones and make the difference."

  Meanwhile, Chelsea are currently 11th but are looking to build on their excellent start to the season away from home, having beaten Wolves 6-2 in their first such game.

  With a number of new signings already settling in, Enzo Maresca is set to introduce Jadon Sancho at the weekend, and he believes the winger can play a key part in this campaign.

  "I'm very happy to have Sancho at Chelsea. He's here because we value a player who excels in 1v1 situations," Maresca said.

  "He's crucial in breaking down tight defences; we need him for that."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Bournemouth – Antoine Semenyo

  Antoine Semenyo has had more shots than any other Premier League player this season (17).

  Meanwhile, Semenyo (17 shots, four chances created) and teammate Marcus Tavernier (12 shots, nine chances created) have been directly involved in 21 attempts so far, with only Kevin De Bruyne (23) being involved in more in the division.

  Chelsea – Cole Palmer

  As well as having the most assists so far (four), no player has created more big chances than Cole Palmer in the Premier League this season (four).

  Palmer is averaging a goal (23) or assist (15) every 76 minutes in the competition for Chelsea, the second-best rate of any player with at least 1,000 minutes for a specific club (behind only Erling Haaland, one every 67 with Man City).

  MATCH PREDICTION: CHELSEA WIN

  Chelsea have lost just one of their seven Premier League away games against Bournemouth (W4 D2), with three of their four defeats in the competition against the Cherries coming at Stamford Bridge.

  The Blues have also won each of their last three Premier League away games, including a 6-2 thrashing in their only away trip so far this season, last having a longer run between February and April 2022 (four).

  However, Chelsea have conceded at least once in each of their last 17 Premier League away games, shipping 36 goals in total in this run. Only once have they had a longer run without a clean sheet on the road in the competition, going 24 games between January 1993 and February 1994.

  Meanwhile, Bournemouth are winless in five Premier League meetings with Chelsea (D2 L3), having won three of their previous four against the Blues prior to this (L1).

  The Cherries are also unbeaten in all three of their Premier League games so far this season (W1 D2) – they have never gone four without defeat from the start of a campaign in the competition before.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Bournemouth – 29.9%

  Draw – 25.1%

  Chelsea – 44.9%

• Guardiola backs 'incredible' Lewis to star as hectic schedule begins

  Pep Guardiola backed Rico Lewis to play a starring role in Manchester City's quest for a fifth Premier League title after an impressive start to the new season. 

  Lewis, who has started every game for Guardiola this term, impressed in City's 3-1 win over West Ham ahead of the international break, while he also played the duration of England's win over Finland.

  The 19-year-old has filled in for the absent Kyle Walker so far, and Guardiola is confident that his recent form will help the Citizens moving forward as the Champions League group phase kicks in. 

  "Absolute, absolutely [he's playing well]. Have you seen the minutes he played in the pocket? I said many times, Rico has one incredible ability that for many years, it was difficult to find," Guardiola said.

  "Always he is free, always he is alone. When his mate has the ball, I don’t know what he does, but he's free.

  "You can pass the ball to him, and not just in positions where it's comfortable, but in positions where the space is so tight, arriving in the third final.

  "We all the players ready, because the schedule that comes from now on until the end of the season will be difficult.

  "That's what I said. Pre-season is over today. It's over officially. The real season starts after the international break."

  But standing in their way are a Brentford side brimming with confidence after comfortably dispatching Southampton 3-1 before the international break to register their best start to a Premier League season. 

  The Bees also arrive at the Etihad as the last team to beat Guardiola's men on home soil, with head coach Thomas Frank believing his players should take that confidence into their encounter with the reigning champions. 

  "The feeling after a win is always unbelievable," said Frank. "It's a combination of relief and happiness.

  "We performed well and played a good game. We clearly deserved to win. We need to celebrate our wins for 24 hours because in the Premier League, it is so difficult to win."

  "Our high press today was absolutely world-class. We were so aggressive, so well organised and the players were so committed."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Man City – Erling Haaland

  Haaland has seven goals in the Premier League this season, the most ever by a player in a team's first three matches of a campaign in the competition.

  The record in a team's first four matches in a Premier League season is eight goals by Wayne Rooney for Manchester United in 2011-12.

  Brentford – Yoane Wissa

  Wissa has started the season in fine form, netting in two of Brentford's three Premier League games so far this campaign, but he has found it difficult against the Citizens in the five matches he has played against them.

  Of the teams Wissa has faced in the top flight, City are one of six sides alongside Man United, Brighton, Sheffield United, Watford and Norwich he has failed to score against.

  MATCH PREDICTION: MAN CITY WIN

  Manchester City have won four of their six Premier League games against Brentford (L2), doing the double over them in both 2021-22 and 2023-24.

  They have also won all three of their Premier League games this season. They have won each of their opening four matches of an English top-flight campaign on eight previous occasions (1903-04, 1912-13, 1961-62, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2023-24), which is already the most of any club.

  The hosts have won each of their last 12 Premier League games, all by a margin of 2+ goals. Indeed, under Guardiola alone, the Citizens are responsible for six of the 16 runs of 12+ consecutive wins by any club in English top-flight history (38%).

  However, Brentford remain the last side to win away to City in any competition, triumphing 2-1 in November 2022. The Citizens are unbeaten in 45 at the Etihad in all competitions since (W38 D7).

  The Bees have won two of their three Premier League games this season (L1), their best start to a campaign in the competition. In the top-flight, only in 1946-47 have they ever won three of their opening four matches – but that was the only season they were relegated from this level.

  But since the start of last season, Brentford have lost more Premier League away games (13) than any side currently in the competition. The Bees have also lost each of their last five away league games against sides that finished the previous season in the top four.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Man City – 82.3%

  Draw –11%

  Brentford – 6.7%

• Frattesi 'deserves trust' from Inter after Italy form, says former Azzurri midfielder Tardelli

  Davide Frattesi "deserves trust" from Inter following his impressive form with Italy, according to former Azzurri midfielder Marco Tardelli.

  Frattesi was on target in Italy's victories over France and Israel during the international break, as Luciano Spalletti's side made a perfect start to Group A2 in the Nations League.

  The 25-year-old has now scored an impressive seven goals - the most of any player during the Spalletti era - in just 21 appearances since making his senior international debut two years ago.

  However, he has not featured as frequently this season for Inter, who he joined from Sassuolo on a permanent basis after his initial loan spell last term, with all three of his appearances coming from the bench.

  Frattesi faces competition from the established central midfield trio of Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

  But 1982 World Cup winner Tardelli, who expects him to be "a starter" alongside Barella for Italy in the coming years, believes he deserves more opportunities with the Nerazzurri.

  "Frattesi needs trust from Inter. There aren't many players like him," the former Inter boss told Gazzetta.

  "Inzaghi has many strong players. The trio in midfield - Barella, Calhanoglu, and Mkhitaryan - is a certainty. I can't tell Simone who to play, but everyone's seeing what Frattesi is doing. He makes a difference, and he deserves trust.

  "He's one of the new midfielders who knows how to be in the right place at the right time. The goal he scored with his chest against Israel proves it. He's always there. He knows how to make late runs and play vertically.

  "He attacks, defends and scores crucial goals. He was decisive last season, despite not being a starter. He has great courage. A player like him gives any coach multiple options, and Inzaghi knows this well."