Premier League leaders Arsenal make the trip to the south coast to take on a Bournemouth side winless in ten Premier League games.
Bournemouth’s win over Nottingham Forest at the end of October ensured they finished that round of fixtures in second spot, some four points behind Arsenal. Andoni Iraola received widespread praise for the way he led his team, in what promised to be a season where the Cherries could actually challenge for a European spot, probably even a Champions League spot.
Things have gone downhill since, as Bouirnemouth have not managed to win a Premier League game since then. Five draws and five losses in that period ensured the Cherries are in 15th heading into Gameweek 20, and they are currently some nine points above the relegation zone.
Ahead of ushering in the new year, Iraola managed to get a point out of Stamford Bridge, as Bournemouth and Chelsea played out a frantic first thirty minutes of their game that produced four goals in the first half. The Cherries are now about to host Premier League leaders Arsenal, against whom they recorded a double last season, including a 2-0 win in this very fixture.
Arsenal, on the other hand, quashed some doubters and the belief that they could commence a dramatic stumble in the title race. Ahead of their clash at home against an in-form Aston Villa side, who were on an 11-game winning streak across all competitions, there were some questions about whether Unai Emery would spoil yet another party on his visit to the Emirates.
After a mixed first-half performance, Arsenal came out flying in the second period with four goals to show for their cause. Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Zubimendi, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus put the Villans to the sword and reaffirmed their status as the favourites to win the league. With Manchester City stumbling on New Year’s Day against Sunderland, the Gunners currently have a four-point advantage at the top heading to Bournemouth.
Mikel Arteta has corrected a lot of things his team did wrong last season, including their failure to secure wins against many clubs. One of them were Bournemouth, who took six points from the Gunners last season, something the Spanish manager will want rectified ahead of their visit to the south coast.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
Antoine Semenyo’s future remains the big talking point at Bournemouth, with suggestions that he was closing in on a move to Manchester City. While that would usually see a player sit out if a move is closer than ever, Andoni Iraola confirmed that the Ghanaian international will play against the Gunners at the weekend.
With that out of the way, there are no fresh injury concerns in the squad, with Lewis Cook needing a late fitness test to determine his availability. On those who are absent, Ryan Christie, Tyler Adams, Veljko Milosavljevic, and Ben Gannon-Doak are the ones missing through fitness issues.
Meanwhile, Julian Araujo has left the club on loan to join Celtic for the remainder of the season, although Alex Jimenez is the starting right-back for the team. There could be a defensive change from the Chelsea clash, as key centre-back Bafode Diakite, who has missed the last two games with an unspecified problem, could return and partner with Marco Senesi at the back.
Iraola is not expected to make too many changes, barring those he deems necessary. So, Justin Kluivert is expected to keep his place in the attacking midfield role, and so is Evanilson in the No.9 spot, while David Brooks will feature on the right wing.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Jimenez; Diakhite, Senesi, Truffert; Scott, Tavernier; Brooks, Kluivert, Semenyo; Evanilson
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta answered many doubters from midweek as Declan Rice was withdrawn before the gam with a swollen knee issue. The problem is not deemed serious at this moment, but there is no clarity on how long this issue will keep the key Arsenal midfielder out, as he is widely expected to miss the Bournemouth trip.
As a result, Arteta might stick with the midfield trio of Martin Odegaard, Zubimendi and Mikel Merino for consecutive games. There are some more absentees from the defensive unit, with Riccardo Calafiori ruled out by the manager for the trip to the south coast, as well as Cristhian Mosquera.
Ben White made a return on the bench earlier this week, but Jurrien Timber is expected to start this game alongside the same set of players that did in midweek. Arteta is not expected to make any changes to the team unless he feels this is the right game for some key rotations, as someone like Eberechi Eze has not played for the last three games.
Even in the attacking setup, the win over Aston Villa saw Kai Havertz return to the squad after Gameweek 1, as he does provide a big choice for Arteta as a substitute. In the race for the No.9 role, Viktor Gyokeres remains the favourite to lead the line for Arsenal against Bournemouth, with Jesus the immediate deputy given his recent trajectory in terms of his fitness.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Raya; Timber; Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Merino; Saka, Odegaard, Trossard; Gyokeres
Key Stats
- Bournemouth are winless in their last ten games in the Premier League. Meanwhile, the Cherries have scored only one goal in their last three home games.
- Arsenal have won their last four games in the Premier League.
- Having won just one of their first 14 Premier League games against Arsenal (D2 L11), Bournemouth did the double over the Gunners last season. However, Arsenal have scored in eight of their nine visits to Bournemouth.
- Bournemouth have lost 12 of their 13 Premier League games against sides starting the day top of the table, with the exception being a 2-1 home win over Manchester City in November 2024.
- No Bournemouth player has scored more goals (9), made more assists (3), had more shots (45), had more touches in the opposition box (86) or played more passes into the box (96) than Antoine Semenyo in the Premier League this season.
Player to Watch
Leandro Trossard
Trossard has proven many of his doubters wrong in the summer when many wanted him gone. He was also the subject of discussions when Arsenal chose to hand him a pay rise, as the decision has been every bit perfect. However, the Belgian is now one of the de facto attacking leaders in the team.
Not only does he have more goal contributions in the team, but Trossard is also getting to the peak of his powers heading into a crucial part of the season. Trossard has the most assists (4) and joint-most goals (5) of any Arsenal player in the Premier League this season, with the Belgian both scoring and assisting against Aston Villa last time out.
The experienced attacker has also made the left-hand side his own at the moment, keeping players like Gabriel Martinelli and Eberechi Eze on the bench, while his form may have dissuaded Arsenal from pursuing a new left winger ahead of the January window, as the Belgian is the player in focus.
Prediction
Bournemouth 1-2 Arsenal
Bournemouth have struggled of late in the Premier League, particularly on home soil, where they have scored just once in their last three games. Given the contrasting nature of their current form compared to that of Premier League leaders Arsenal, this could be another big test for Iraola to get his team to perform at the top level.
Arsenal breezed past Aston Villa earlier this week, and heading to the south coast, they are the firm favourites to secure another win and retain the four-point advantage at the top. Mikel Arteta is steadily getting his team into their best stride, and Bournemouth could be their next victims on the road to the Premier League title.