Bournemouth vs Arsenal: EPL Match Preview, Predicted Line-ups and Fantasy XI

Bournemouth vs Arsenal, both teams come into this Premier League clash off the back of victories in the Carabao Cup, with Bournemouth cruising past Stoke and Arsenal winning a tricky tie away at Brentford.

Match Details:

• Location: Bournemouth, England
• Stadium: Vitality Stadium
• Date: Saturday 30 September
• Kick-off Time: 15:00 BST / 10:00 ET / 07:00 PT
• Referee: Michael Salisbury
• VAR: David Coote

Bournemouth vs Arsenal: Match Preview

Bournemouth, who face Arsenal this weekend, will have rued their chances last weekend when they took the lead over Brighton & Hove Albion, only to surrender it. The Seagulls, inspired by substitute Kaoru Mitoma, put the Cherries to the sword, leaving Andoni Iraola without a win as their manager.

Some would argue the quality of the opposing teams so far have been superior to the Cherries so far. But their great display against Chelsea must have boosted their confidence. The toughness of their fixtures does not stop just yet, as they take on Arsenal at the Vitality Stadium.

💬 "That's the beauty of football – that 30, 40 years later, we are together in the Premier League both as managers."

🗞️ Mikel speaks about his childhood friendship with Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola 👇

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 29, 2023

Bournemouth come into the game at the back of their EFL Cup win over Stoke City, where, unlike last weekend, they held on to their lead and even added another strike. This test against the Gunners will add more pressure on Andoni Iraola, as the Cherries could end the weekend inside the bottom three if those teams below them get favourable results.

Mikel Arteta used up his fringe players for the midweek clash against Brentford in the EFL Cup and will hope some of his key first-teamers return to action at the weekend. Arsenal entered last Sunday's North London Derby as the favourites but were pegged back twice by Son Heung-min as the game ended in a draw.

Two best-mates reunited ❤️

Ahead of tomorrow's match, Brooksy and Rambo asked each other some tough questions! pic.twitter.com/U8peeEjvxh

— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) September 29, 2023

Since that result, many have questioned Arsenal's chances to challenge for the title, as they already trail leaders Manchester City by four points. It is still very early in the season to draw conclusions about their credentials, as the Gunners have maintained their unbeaten start to the campaign.

Ahead of another pivotal week of football, which ends with a smashing clash at the Emirates against Manchester City, Arteta will hope his players are prepared for the test and, more importantly, available to play. Hence, the Bournemouth clash already feels like a must-win game for Arsenal, as another slip-up could make the task harder for them to chase down the league leaders.

Team News:

Bournemouth:

There is a major blow for Bournemouth because they are going to be without striker Dominic Solanke after he suffered an ankle injury against Stoke. He is their top scorer and it certainly hinders their chance of victory.

"We will try for sure to have him available, but we don't know."

Andoni has provided an update on Dom's fitness ahead of #BOUARS 🗣

— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) September 29, 2023

A number of players like Emiliano Marcondes, Alex Scott, Ryan Fredericks, Lloyd Kelly and Chris Mepham are all out injured too, but Tyler Adams could make a start after coming off the bench in midweek.

Arsenal:

Arsenal's starting lineup is not going to be an easy one to predict right up until the moment it is announced as a couple of very important players are racing to get fit. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka both suffered injuries against Tottenham last weekend and may miss out against Bournemouth.

The likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Jurrien Timber and Thomas Partey are all out of contention, and David Raya is expected to come back into the goalkeeper slot despite Aaron Ramsdale impressing against Brentford.

Mikel has provided an update on Saka, Rice and Saliba ahead of our trip to Bournemouth 👇

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 29, 2023

Bournemouth vs Arsenal: Head to Head and Key Stats

• Arsenal have an excellent record against Bournemouth and have won 11 out of the 14 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Bournemouth's paltry one victory.
• Bournemouth have won only one of their 12 matches against Arsenal in the Premier League, with their only such victory coming by a 2-1 scoreline at home in 2018.
• Bournemouth are winless in their last 10 matches in the Premier League – the longest such run of any team in the top flight.
• Arsenal have won their first two games away from home in the Premier League this season and could win their first three such games of a campaign for the first time since the 2013-14 season.
• Arsenal have found the back of the net in each of their 12 matches against Bournemouth and have scored a total of 29 goals against the Cherries in the competition.

Predicted Line-ups:

Bournemouth predicted lineup vs Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Neto; Aarons, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Cook, Billing; Tavernier, Christie, Ouattara; Moore.

Arsenal predicted lineup vs Bournemouth (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Jorginho, Vieira; Nelson, Nketiah, Jesus

BOU vs ARS: Fantasy XI

Raya; White, Saliba, Senesi, Kerkez; Odegaard, Jorginho, Billing, Ouattara, Nketiah, Jesus.