Arsenal picked up a commanding 4-0 win over Everton in their midweek Premier League clash and next up, they will face 19th-placed Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Cherries have won just five league games this season and they are winless in their previous six meetings with the Gunners. However, Bournemouth are just one point away from getting out of the relegation zone so even if they can draw this weekend, it will be a great result for them.
The Gunners are still maintaining a five-point lead at the top of the table which is why they cannot afford to take their foot off the peddle. One loss and nervousness and panic will start kicking in amongst the Arsenal players.
The North London side still have some tough games to play this season but we don’t think they will suffer any major setbacks on Saturday. Bournemouth are currently very low on confidence so this one should be an easy win for the home team.
Arsenal’s team news and injuries:
The Arsenal manager is not going to make any major changes to the starting line which played against Everton in midweek.
The goalkeeper and the back line are going to remain the same but Jorginho could be the one who drops to the bench. Speaking after the match, the manager explained that Jorginho was not feeling ok which is why he was taken off at half-time and since Thomas Partey is back to full match fitness, the Ghanaian will start in midfield.
Elneny is ruled out due to surgery which means Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard will both hold onto their places.
Eddie Nketiah picked up a small knock in that Everton win but he should be fit in time before Bournemouth come to town.
The manager said: ‘Hopefully, he is fine. He ended the game well, but he has been carrying a little thing.’
However, Leandro Trossard has been playing as the main centre-forward for the Gunners in their previous two games and we think Mikel Arteta will use the January signing in the same role on Saturday as well. Even if Nketiah is fully fit, he will only fit an place on the bench.
Apart from Elneny, Gabriel Jesus is the only other player who’s out injured and he will only be back towards the end of this month.
Arsenal predicted line up vs Bournemouth:
Predicted Starting Line up(4-3-3): Ramsdale; Ben White, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Saliba; Xhaka, Odegaard, Thomas Partey; Martinelli, Trossard, Bukayo Saka.
