Arsenal host Bournemouth at the Emirates in the Premier League on Saturday, as the Gunners look to push on and cement a Champions League position this season.
Unai Emery’s men have made a solid start to the campaign and currently sit in fourth with 12 points, having drawn with Man Utd on Monday night.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s deft finish was initially ruled out for offside but subsequently given by VAR, thus cancelling out Scott McTominay’s first half opener.
Bournemouth have made a promising start themselves, lingering just one point behind Arsenal in eighth. The Cherries have lost just twice this season, with England striker Callum Wilson in a rich vein of form, scoring five in his last four league matches.
Here’s 90min’s preview of the game.
Where to Watch
| When Is Kick Off? | Sunday 6th October |
| What Time Is Kick Off? | 14:00 (BST) |
| Where Is it Played? | Emirates Stadium |
| TV Channel/Live Stream? | Sky Sports News |
| Referee? | Martin Atkinson |
Team News
Alexandre Lacazette remains sidelined for the Gunners with an ankle problem, with his return not expected until next month.
Defenders Hector Bellerin, Kieran Tierney and Rob Holding have all resumed full training and are in contention to play at the weekend.
Bournemouth’s injury list is more concerning, on the other hand. Charlie Daniels and Junior Stanislas have long-term knee troubles, while Adam Smith’s return to first-team action is unknown due to a hamstring injury.
David Brooks and Dan Gosling are ruled out this weekend, although they should return to training at the end of the month, while Ryan Fraser – who has been heavily linked with opponents Arsenal – is a doubt due to illness.
Predicted Lineups
| Arsenal | Leno; Maitland-Niles, Sokratis, Luiz, Kolasinac; Guendouzi, Xhaka; Pepe, Ceballos, Saka; Aubameyang. |
| Bournemouth | Ramsdale; Stacey, Cook, Ake, Rico; H. Wilson, Lerma, Billing, King; Solanke, C. Wilson. |
Head to Head Record
Arsenal have tended to dominate this fixture, winning seven and losing just once to the Cherries in their history. Of course, these matches have been played – for the most part – in recent years, with Bournemouth historically not a top-flight club.
The north London side crushed Bournemouth 5-1 in this fixture last season. The in-form Aubameyang was predictably on the scoresheet that day, and will be confident that he can continue his fine start to the campaign on Sunday.
Recent Form
Both sides have started the season well, with Arsenal’s only loss inflicted at Anfield.
Their 2-2 draw with Watford, having been two goals ahead, has been their only really unexpected result, with points picked up – as expected – against the likes of Burnley, Newcastle and Aston Villa.
Similarly, Bournemouth have only been beaten by outright better teams in Man City and Leicester.
Despite being typically porous in defence, the Cherries have been free-scoring against teams around and below their level, hitting the likes of Everton and Southampton with three apiece.
Here’s how each team has performed in their last five fixtures:
| Arsenal | Bournemouth |
| Man Utd 1-1 Arsenal (30/9) | Bournemouth 2-2 West Ham (28/9) |
| Arsenal 5-0 Nottingham Forest (24/9) | Burton 2-0 Bournemouth (25/9) |
| Arsenal 3-2 Villa (22/9) | Southampton 1-3 Bournemouth (20/9) |
| Frankfurt 0-3 Arsenal (19/9) | Bournemouth 3-1 Everton (15/9) |
| Watford 2-2 Arsenal (15/9) | Leicester 3-1 Bournemouth (31/8) |
Prediction
Arsenal, while shaky on the road, tend to find ways to win at the Emirates, particularly against teams lower down the table.
The Gunners are far from solid at the back, and Bournemouth’s pace and power on the counter-attack will undoubtedly cause their backline major problems.
Nonetheless, the Cherries’ defence themselves is as leaky as they come, so expect Aubameyang, and maybe even Nicolas Pepe, to cause some damage this weekend.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Bournemouth.
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