Arsenal eye three consecutive victories in trip to Bournemouth.

2024-10-13

As Bournemouth host Arsenal at the Vitality Stadium this Saturday at 17:30 [GMT+1], they hope to defy history and secure a rare victory against an unbeaten Arsenal side chasing their 2000th top-flight win.

AFC Bournemouth

After moving two places up the table to 11th place, Bournemouth found themselves right back in 13th following a 1-0 loss to newly promoted Leicester City right before the international break. Left with 8 points [2W, 2D, 3L] after their third defeat in five Premier League games, Bournemouth [WLLWL] will face an even more potent opponent in the shape of Arsenal.

A not-so-impressive record against last season’s runners-up could see Bournemouth suffer back-to-back defeats. The Cherries have lost 11 of their 14 Premier League games against Arsenal.

In addition, since Bournemouth returned to the Premier League in 2022, they have lost all four of their meetings against the Gunners by an aggregate score of 13-2, conceding 3+ goals each time. Andoni Iraola will be hoping his side can at least keep a shutout this weekend when they host Arsenal, who are the best-scoring side in the Premier League behind Manchester City [17] and Chelsea [16].

A 4—2—3—1 with Evanilson in attack is expected. The 24-year-old Brazilian, who replaces Dominic Solanke, has scored only once in six Premier League appearances for the Cherries.

Meanwhile, manager Andoni Iraola could be without Tyler Adams for this fixture.

Arsenal

Arsenal went into the international break with a 3-1 win over Premier League newcomers Southampton. That win helped Arsenal keep 3rd place with 17 points (5W, 2D, 0L), just one behind table-topping Manchester City.

With Bournemouth up next before a UCL fixture against Shakhtar Donetsk, picking up three consecutive league victories would certainly be one of Mikel Arteta’s objectives, knowing his side’s recent run of form. While Arsenal (DWDWW) are one of only two sides without defeat in the Premier League, they also remain unbeaten in all 10 competitive games so far this season (7W, 3D, 0L).

With the win over the Saints being Arsenal’s 1999th top-flight victory, a win here will not only see Arsenal move temporarily to the top of the table but also make them the second side to reach 2,000 victories after Liverpool (2,065).

A 4—3—3 with Kai Havertz, Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli in attack is anticipated against the Cherries. Martin Odegaard, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Kieran Tierney will play no part in this weekend’s fixture due to injuries.

Meanwhile, on loan from Bournemouth, goalkeeper Neto is ineligible to face his parent club.