AFC Bournemouth vs Arsenal Preview

After the second international break of the season, the Premier League returns this Saturday with Arsenal travelling to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth.

Bournemouth would have welcomed the international break as a chance to regroup following a run of three defeats from their four most recent Premier League matches (W1). The most recent was away to Leicester City (1-0). They did record a 3-1 victory at home over Southampton prior to that though, and that win handed the Cherries what was just a second win from their previous six home league matches (D2, L2).

While manager Andoni Iraola has had a largely positive impact at Bournemouth since his appointment, there’s no denying that his side have struggled to upset the odds. Each of his side’s last ten Premier League wins was against teams sitting in the bottom half of the table at the time, highlighting a concerning record against the division’s elite, which is compounded by their record of five straight defeats against Arsenal.

Meanwhile, the Gunners are looking strong after registering ten straight competitive games unbeaten (W7, D3). This is thanks in part to the comforts of each of their last four fixtures coming at the Emirates.

That means this contest is their first away test since a 2-2 draw with Manchester City, and there’s a chance Mikel Arteta’s men could go three competitive away games without an away win for the first time this calendar year. having drawn 0-0 in the Champions League at Atalanta before that.

Having not lost to Bournemouth since January 2018 (W8, D1 since), Arsenal will likely be confident even despite having to monitor the fitness of several players such as Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka. Not that it should be needed, but added motivation could be found in the fact the North London club are looking to become the second side after Liverpool to record 2,000 top-flight wins.

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Premier League Fixtures:

Premier League Table