Arsenal vs AFC Bournemouth Preview

After being thoroughly outplayed by Paris Saint Germain in midweek, the Premier League provides a welcome free hit for Arsenal this Saturday. Their clash with Bournemouth is a great opportunity to experiment with no approaches that could help them shock the French side in Paris next week.

Arsenal are able to take a loose approach to this game because their top four position is virtually sealed - they require just five points from their remaining four games to automatically qualify for the Champions League next year.

Conversely, Bournemouth now need to win all of their remaining games, and rely on virtually every team ahead of them to lose their remaining games if they are to even reach fifth, the extra Champions League qualifying spot this season.

As the game approaches, here is everything you need to know about both sides ahead of kick-off.

Where to Watch

This game will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event, with kick-off scheduled for 17:30.

Key Statistics

• Arsenal will be wary of Bournemouth, after the Cherries picked up their second ever win against the Gunners back in October.
• However, boasting the best defensive record in the league, Arsenal will be confident of restricting Bournemouth to one goal.
• Bournemouth have hit a barren run of form, winning just two of their last 11 games in all competitions (D4, L5)
• They have also scored more than one goal in a game twice in that run.

Arsenal Preview

Arsenal Predicted Lineup (4-3-3): David Raya (GK); Myles Lewis-Skelly, Jakub Kiwior, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber; Declan Rice, Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard; Gabriel Martinelli, Mikel Merino, Ethan Nwaneri.

With the combined effects of Arsenal’s injury list and Mikel Arteta’s general opposition to large-scale rotations, Arsenal’s lineup should look largely the same as the one fielded against PSG.

Though they were unfortunate not to score from two excellent open play chances against the French champions, all of their other opportunities came from set-pieces - in fact, the only time the Emirates registered above a low rumble was when Arsenal earned a corner, such is the style of Mikel Arteta’s football.

To beat PSG, they need to fight fire with fire. This means playing fluid, positive football through the middle of the pitch, and they need to accept the risk of a counter-attack, something Bournemouth rely on for most of their goals. This then presents the perfect chance to test drive a new approach. If Arteta fails to experiment, then Arsenal’s Champions League hopes are over.

AFC Bournemouth Preview

AFC Bournemouth Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK); Milos Kerkez, Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi, James Hill; Tyler Adams, Lewis Cook; Marcus Tavernier, Justin Kluivert, Antoine Semenyo; Dango Ouattara.

It was only to be expected that eventually Bournemouth would lose some of their early season momentum. Andoni Iraola has been doing a wonderful job on the south coast, but between the ever present injury list and the limited funds the club runs on, it was always going to be a tall task to mount a European football challenge.

However, after such a fine season, there will certainly be some increased funds coming into the club next season, something which Iraola will focus into more clever recruitment, particularly with some of his key players, including Semenyo and Huijsen being linked with big moves in the summer.

For now, he needs to work with the already considerable talent at his disposal. He will field a mostly similar lineup to the draw with Man United, although with Evanilson shown a straight red in that game, Dango Ouattara will be the likely replacement for the Cherries up top.

Arsenal vs AFC Bournemouth Head to Head

Recent Meetings:

• 19/10/2024: Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal.
• 04/05/2024: Arsenal 3-0 Bournemouth.
• 30/09/2023: Bournemouth 0-4 Arsenal.
• 04/03/2023: Arsenal 3-2 Bournemouth.
• 20/08/2022: Bournemouth 0-3 Arsenal.

Arsenal vs Bournemouth Betting Tip

While Arsenal’s starting eleven will remain largely unchanged, the same cannot be said of their psyche. They are a side who trail after the first leg of a UCL semi-final, and are yet ot play the away leg. Even the players who are on the pitch will want to conserve energy, and will already have one eye on Wednesday’s fixture. This gives Bournemouth a chance, and while it will still be tricky to win, we think a draw is more than possible.

Arsenal vs Bournemouth Prediction

Arsenal 1-1 Bournemouth

As said earlier, Arsenal will likely limit Bournemouth to one goal, but with the likely spaced-out state of many of their attacking players, it will be a laborious task to score themselves. This won’t be an electrifying affair.