Bournemouth Pre-Season 2019: Where to Watch the Cherries Play This Summer

Who needs an exotic pre-season tour when your home ground is a stone's throw away from some of the most picturesque beaches in Britain? 

Bournemouth fans will be hoping that the money saved from not flying their squad halfway around the world will be used to bring in some new additions, and will be eager to catch a glimpse of these fresh faces before the Premier League starts back in August.  

Whilst manager Eddie Howe will be reasonably pleased with another solid outing in England's premier division last time round, he is not one to rest on his laurels and will already be methodically planning a rigorous pre-season training plan to help push his team back into the top half of the Premier League.  

Here's a closer look at who, when, and where Bournemouth will be playing this summer... 

West Bromwich Albion

David Rogers/GettyImages

Bournemouth will kick off pre-season proceedings a little later than most of their Premier League rivals, when they head 150 miles north to face West Brom on 26 July. The sides last faced off towards the end of the 2017/18 Premier League campaign, when Bournemouth's 2-1 victory played a part in consigning Albion to their subsequent relegation.  

With West Brom set to kick off their 2019/20 Championship campaign just over a week later, expect this to be a little more serious than the 'friendly' billing would have you believe. After missing out on promotion last season following an agonising penalty shootout loss to Aston Villa in the play off semi finals, Albion will be targeting this fixture as a chance to prove they belong in England's top tier.   

When Is Kick Off?	Friday 26 July
What Time Is Kick Off?	7:45pm (local time)
Where Is it Played?	The Hawthorns
TV Channel/Live Stream?	AFCBTV

Brentford

Bryn Lennon/GettyImages

Expect plenty of squad rotation when the Cherries go straight from their Friday night fixture against West Brom to a Saturday afternoon clash versus Brentford at Griffin Park. 

The last time Bournemouth made the trip up the M27 to face their south England rivals was during the 2014/15 Championship season when the Cherries won the league and gained promotion to the Premiership. 

Having spent the past few seasons milling around mid-table, Brentford will have their sights set on replicating Bournemouth's success, as the season prior to their promotion the Cherries finished tenth.

Whilst mounting a serious title challenge is probably beyond the Bees' reach, they will be hoping to kick on next season and secure themselves a play off spot.   

When Is Kick Off?	Saturday 27 July
What Time Is Kick Off?	3:00pm (local time)
Where Is it Played?	Griffin Park
TV Channel/Live Stream?	AFCBTV

Lazio

Marco Rosi/GettyImages

If 15 or 20 years ago someone had suggested Bournemouth would welcome Lazio to the Vitality Stadium and have a very good chance of beating the Italians, their sanity would have been questioned. 

Back in 2000 when Lazio were lifting the Serie A title, the Cherries were languishing at the bottom of the old Division Two. Fast forward 19 years - with a meteoric rise from the south Englanders, and a slight decline from the prestigious Italians - and 2 August will see the two sides clash on fairly even terms. 

With Lazio not kicking off their league campaign for a further three weeks after the fixture, expect to perhaps see a more youthful, experimental side from the Italians. 

Bournemouth on the other hand will be gearing up to kick off their fifth season in the Premier League just a week later, and Eddie Howe may well see the clash as an opportunity to test his strongest 11 against quality opposition. 

When Is Kick Off?	Friday 2 August
What Time Is Kick Off?	7:45pm (local time)
Where Is it Played?	Vitality Stadium
TV Channel/Live Stream?	AFCBTV