Arsenal vs. Bournemouth – team news, form, H2H, line-ups, and goal prediction

Looking for a fourth Premier League win to keep control of their title fate, Arsenal welcomed relegation-threatened Bournemouth to the Emirates on Saturday afternoon.

The Gunners won 4-0 against Everton on Wednesday night to extend their lead at the top, while the Cherries’ last game ended in a 4-1 defeat by Manchester City.

Replicating their one-goal win against the leaders at Goodison Park a few weeks ago was always going to be a tall order for Everton, who sent goals galore at Arsenal once their resistance was finally broken in the 40th minute.

Gabriel Martinelli – who scored twice – and Bukayo Saka both scored double figures for the Premier League campaign, while Martin Odegaard also featured in the second half as the Gunners’ stunning resurgence of their mid-season outburst at the front is continued by their ardent fans. Having made full use of the game in hand, Arsenal restored a five-point lead over first-placed Man City – a massive 60 points from the first 25 games of the season – although the champions closed that gap for a while. in a few hours when they meet Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon.

The win over Everton marked only the second win of their last five Premier League games at the Emirates for Mikel Arteta’s men, but they are firmly back to their best and have proved adept at breaking down low blocks – not this time around. last thanks to the creative influence of Oleksandr Zinchenko, whose ‘magical’ assist for Saka’s lead was praised by Arteta.

Since defeat to Brentford on the opening day of last season, Arsenal have failed to beat a newly promoted Premier League side – they have won all of their last eight games of this kind – and those who have made the long journey north from Bournemouth he will no doubt travel with unfounded hopes rather than expectations.

Gary O’Neil’s selection would have been fueled by Arsenal fans to produce a shock result against Man City, but despite a valiant home performance, the abundance of quality in the champions’ ranks finally shone through.

Erling Braut Haaland, Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez and a Chris Mepham own goal all contributed to the Cherries’ demise, but a late effort from Jefferson Lerma was only payback for their valiant efforts at Vitality Stadium, even if the valiant efforts they have not paid points. . Meeting Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool was not what the doctor ordered for Bournemouth after their first post-World Cup win against Wolverhampton Wanderers two weekends ago and O’Neil’s side remain 19th under the dotted line, but they are only one point away. to tie Leeds United for 17th place.

A string of shrewd acquisitions in January has yet to pay off for Bournemouth, whose tally after World Cups (five) and goals (four) are the worst in the Premier League and eight of their previous games of the Premier League against the team sitting first. place ended in defeat.

Head to Head

Arsenal looked good in pink at the Vitality Stadium in August and claimed the 3-0 win while sporting their colorful kit, but even those shirts aren’t quite as flashy as their rise to Premier League dominance.

No player is expected to leave the Emirates sick bay this weekend as Gabriel Jesus and Mohamed Elneny continue to recover from knee injuries, but the former is now back to work with the ball at London Colney and could return later this month.

Arteta has fresh concerns over Eddie Nketiah, who didn’t move well towards the end of Everton’s win due to a recent slap, leaving the 23-year-old with a potential third consecutive game on the bench while Leandro Trossard continues. to have an impact. Jorginho was forced out at half-time on Wednesday due to illness, allowing Thomas Partey to return to the starting XI, but his team-mate has fully recovered and will not easily give up his place. Kieran Tierney, Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira will also push for inclusion given the speed of execution.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth suffered a triple injury ahead of their loss to Man City where Matias Vina, Junior Stanislas and Marcus Tavernier were all sidelined with fresh concerns and all will be out here along with Ilya Zabarnyi and David Brooks.

On a positive note, Lloyd Kelly and Lewis Cook are recovering well – the latter should be back in the squad – and O’Neil is facing a training problem after switching to a five-man full-back who has had little effect against Man City.

However, the Cherries’ performance was admirable, so the visiting coach can stick to that heavy defensive formation in hopes of nullifying Arsenal’s wild attack. Possible

starting line-up for Arsenal:
Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegard, Martinelli; Trossard

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
net; Smith, Mepham, Senesi, Stephens, Zemura; Ouattara, Billing, Lerma, Traore; Solanke

PREDICTION

Arsenal 3-0 Bournemouth

Bournemouth gave Man City a scare last weekend and rightfully smashed through the champions’ defenders, but such attempts to silence the Emirati crowd will be met with heavy backlash from Arteta’s rejuvenated crop.

Even with midweek fatigue working against them, Arsenal should maintain their unassailable lead over first place with another easy win, with plenty of goals on the way.