Predicted Arsenal line-up vs Bournemouth, £45m star returns as Arteta makes 2 changes
Arsenal take on Bournemouth in today’s Premier League clash at the Vitality Stadium.
The Gunners picked up a fourth-straight league win after an impressive 4-1 victory over Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium in midweek.
The club are four points ahead of second-placed Manchester City and can temporarily extend the gap to seven by beating the Cherries.
Pep Guardiola’s side are not in action until Sunday evening against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal will be eyeing their first win against Bournemouth since May 2024. The Cherries did the league double last campaign.
Formation: 4-3-3
Predicted Line-up:
David Raya has kept nine clean sheets in the league and was on the cusp of another shutout against Villa before conceding a stoppage-time goal. The Spaniard is guaranteed to start between the sticks.
The defence could stay the same from Tuesday night. Ben White has just returned from a hamstring injury and may not get the nod to start over Jurrien Timber at right-back against the Cherries.
William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes should continue as the central defensive pairing with Piero Hincapie at left-back. Hincapie’s better aerial and physical presence should see him start over Myles Lewis-Skelly again. Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera are out injured.
Martin Zubimendi was phenomenal against Villa and made a superb run into the box to bag his third goal of the campaign. The 26-year-old is assured to continue as the holding midfielder.
However, manager Mikel Arteta could change things in central midfield with Eberechi Eze coming in to partner Martin Odegaard. Mikel Merino’s reduced mobility was a downside against Villa.
The Spaniard was very fortunate to avoid a sending off. Bournemouth generally leave plenty of space in midfield with their playing style, which could bring the best out of Eze.
The Englishman has been an unused substitute in the last three league matches and will no doubt be determined to prove himself in a central role against the South Coast side.
Odegaard has been in a fantastic run of form in the last two outings. He scored a vital goal against Brighton & Hove Albion and provided a fabulous assist for Zubimendi on Tuesday.
The Norwegian could form a three-man midfield alongside Zubimendi and Eze this evening. Declan Rice is doubtful to start due to a knee injury sustained against Brighton & Hove Albion.
In the final third, Bukayo Saka has not been at his best in recent games, but has still chipped in with goal contributions. He provided the corner that contributed to Gabriel’s opener.
The club graduate is pretty much assured to start from the right wing. Trossard should be guaranteed his place on the left wing on the back of a goal and an assist against the Villans.
The Belgian has had a fine league campaign with 11 goal contributions thus far.
Viktor Gyokeres had a much better outing against Villa and came close to scoring on two occasions.
Arteta has been quite supportive of Gyokeres, but there could be a temptation to start Gabriel Jesus upfront. The £45 million signing scored just 55 seconds after coming on as a substitute in midweek.
How Arsenal could line up vs Bournemouth
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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