Arsenal produced one of their finest 45 minutes of football in the second half against Everton on Wednesday, and I expect that momentum to carry into Saturday. An injury-ravaged Bournemouth were thrashed by City last weekend, and the Gunners should put the visitors to the sword in a similar fashion. Only Southampton have lost more games on the road than the Cherries this season, and it’s hard to envisage O’Neil’s side laying a glove on the Premier League leaders. The Gunners have enjoyed a three-game winning run in the wake of their seemingly crucial 3-1 defeat to Man City and their recent run has seen them open up a five-point gap over their title rivals at the summit. However, that deficit will be cut to two before Arsenal kick-off on Saturday if City beat Newcastle to open up the gameweek.
Mikel Arteta’s side thumped Bournemouth 3-0 in the reverse fixture at the start of the season, but the Cherries are much changed from their first outing. Gary O’Neil’s side are well in the relegation dogfight, and many expect the south coast outfit to succumb to the second tier. Thus, this is a huge opportunity for the Premier League leaders to extend their winning run ahead of a busy period.Arteta is more likely to rotate his pack next Thursday in Lisbon with few changes being made to the starting XI on Saturday. Leandro Trossard has impressed in his last two starts and should continue in the XI, while Thomas Partey is expected to make his first start in almost a month after playing 45 minutes on Wednesday. Emile Smith Rowe earned minutes off the bench last time out, but his first start of the campaign is poised to arrive against Sporting.
Arsenal will be out to record their fourth Premier League win on the bounce when they welcome Bournemouth to the Emirates on Saturday afternoon. The Gunners ensured that their game in hand was a worthwhile one on Wednesday evening, thumping Everton 4-0 thanks to Gabriel Martinelli (2), Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.As a result, Arsenal have re-established a five-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, having taken 60 points from just 25 games so far this season. Jorginho made his fourth successive Premier League start for Arsenal in the win over Everton, but he was forced off at half time due to illness, and he will therefore need careful assessment before the weekend’s game rolls around.
Gabriel Jesus has been pictured with the ball at his feet in training as he edges closer to a return from knee surgery, which may come at some point this month, but he will not be ready for Saturday’s game. In contrast, Mohamed Elneny will need a few more months to recover from his knee operation, and the Egyptian midfielder is expected to remain sidelined for the rest of the season. Eddie Nketiah has been dropped from Arsenal’s first XI for their last two games and was seen limping towards the end of the win over Everton. Arteta revealed that the Englishman had been carrying a knock, but it is unlikely to affect his participation in this one. Matias Vina, Junior Stanislas and Marcus Tavernier all missed Saturday’s defeat to City and it’s unclear whether any of them will make the trip to north London this weekend. Lloyd Kelly and Lewis Cook are also doubts, while Ilya Zabarnyi and David Brooks are certain to miss out.
During the last 5 meetings with Arsenal FC playing at home, Arsenal FC have won 5 times, there have been 0 draws while AFC Bournemouth have won 0 times. The goal difference is 14-2 in favour of Arsenal FC. During the last 12 meetings, Arsenal FC have won 9 times, there have been 2 draws while AFC Bournemouth have won 1 times. The goal difference is 28-10 in favour of Arsenal FC. Did you know that Arsenal FC scores 27% of their goals between the minutes 46-60? This is the highest percentage in the league.
