Arsenal have a perfect chance to move to the top of the table when they face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday’s 5.30pm kickoff time.
The Gunners have five wins in seven games, and they are currently on a three-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League. Meanwhile, the Cherries were unable to defeat a resilient Leicester City in their last league encounter.
The visitors are yet to lose a game in all competitions this season, with their streak now extending to 16 matches. They last tasted defeat against Bayern Munich in their Champions League clash in April.
Back to business 💼
📍 Sobha Realty Training Centre pic.twitter.com/KyEpT1neAn
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 17, 2024
A win this weekend will secure a remarkable feat for the North London outfit. They are on 1999 wins in the English top fight and are on course to become only the second team in the division after Liverpool to reach 2000 victories.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth reside in the 13th spot in the league table, and fans will expect an improved response at their home turf. Andoni Iraola’s side have a poor record vs. top-half teams. They are winless in their last 11 games against the elite English clubs.
CURRENT FORM IN ALL COMPETITIONS
Bournemouth: L, W, L, L, W, L
Arsenal: D, D, W, W, W, W
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD:
Bournemouth are winless in their last four top-flight games against the North London-based club, with their last game being a 3-0 thrashing of the hosts in May.
Their last victory over the Gunners came way back in January 2018. Callum Wilson and J. Ibe secured a rare 2-1 win at the Vitality Stadium. Mikel Arteta’s first-ever game as an Arsenal manager saw his team draw 1-1 against the Cherries in December 2019.
Left foot. 20 yards. What a way to score your first goal for The Arsenal 🤩
Next up: Bournemouth 🔜 pic.twitter.com/fHXu1M9NPW
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 15, 2024
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Both sides have faced each other 16 times since 1987, and as history speaks, the visitors are once again favourites to grab all three points.
TEAM NEWS:
Iraola could welcome long-term absentee Tyler Adams, who could return from his back injury in the next game. We expect Luis Sinisterra and Dango Ouattara to be introduced in attack after Justin Kluivert was unable to offer creativity upfront.
Meanwhile, Arteta will be sweating on the fitness of Bukayo Saka after he struggled with a hamstring issue while on international duty with England. As per sources, he is fit to return for the PL clash. Gabriel Martinelli also damaged his calf while featuring for Brazil.
Arsenal are trolling at this point 😭😂
No Saka in training photos (obviously!) however Rice with a no.7 bib instead (Saka’s number!) pic.twitter.com/JkWWdrXaD0
— Harry (@FPL_Harry) October 17, 2024
Thomas Partey and Kai Havertz are also expected to recover on time despite their withdrawal from their national teams. Jurrien Timber and Ben White have worked on their fitness during the two-week break period and could be named in the starting XI.
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Martin Odegaard (ankle) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) won’t make a comeback this month after suffering from a minor setback in their recovery phase. Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko remain sidelined for now.
Goalkeeper Neto cannot face his former club due to loan conditions. Hence, 16-year-old star Jack Porter will be David Raya’s deputy for the game against the Cherries. Tommy Setford is still recovering from his injury and will miss being the second choice in front of the nets.
OUR PREDICTION:
We say that the ball will fall in Arsenal’s court with an easy 3-0 win on Saturday. Bournemouth didn’t produce anything spectacular against the biggies in the past, and looking at their current state, their chances of extracting a point look very slim once again.
