AFC Bournemouth vs Arsenal
Date: 25/11/2018
K/O: 13:30
Venue: The Vitality Stadium
TV: Sky Sports Main Event
Referee: Kevin Friend
Bournemouth host Arsenal in the Sunday lunchtime kick-off as both sides look to get back to winning ways after disappointing results before the international break.
Emery’s men, who currently sit in 5th, will look to close the gap on their north London rivals while Bournemouth, who only sit one place behind the Gunners in 6th, will look to stabilise their place in the top 10.
Their league position does not exactly tell the picture of their recent form however and Howe will be looking to put recent successive defeats to Manchester United and Newcastle behind them. Arsenal meanwhile, have only won once in their last five yet remain unbeaten in 16 games in all competitions. Emery’s men will be seeking to end a run of three Premier League games without a win and put recent draws to Crystal Palace and Wolves behind them.
The clash will see two of the league’s in-form strikers go head to head in Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Callum Wilson. The latter is coming into the fixture after scoring on his debut for his country in a 3-0 win over the USA and he will be eager to add to his tally of six Premier League goals in front of the home crowd.
AFC Bournemouth: Form and Stats
The Cherries have made a fine start to the season, but it has to be noted that they head into Sunday’s clash following back-to-back defeats; these defeats have surely given Howe’s men a wake-up call and they will be keen to put these results behind them as they welcome Arsenal.
The Cherries are tough opposition at home and will rely on their attacking outfit to give a weakened Arsenal defence issues. Howe’s side gave their all last time out at home and were desperately unlucky to not pick up a result against the Red Devils.
Arsenal: Form and Stats
Emery’s men won 11 games in all competitions following defeats to Manchester City and Chelsea at the start of his reign, but have since only won one of their past five games. This could be due to their poor habit of starting slowly in fixtures which has caused them to drop points in recent outings. Their fighting spirit in the second half of games however, alongside Emery’s promptness in making substitutions at the right time, has been somewhat of a pleasant surprise for the Arsenal faithful.
Head to Head
The two sides have met six times in the Premier League with Arsenal victorious on four occasions in comparison to the Cherries sole victory which came last time out on the south coast in January in a 2-1 win.
Team News
Bournemouth
The Cherries will be without right-back Adam Smith for Sunday’s clash against Arsenal at the Vitality Stadium as the defender is set to be sidelined for three months due to a knee injury which he sustained earlier this month.
Charlie Daniels may come straight into the team after replacing the ex-Leeds United loanee after 30 minutes at St James’ Park. Aside from the injury to Smith, Howe has a fairly healthy side to choose from come Sunday afternoon.
Arsenal
Aubameyang pulled out of Gabon’s matches due to a back problem during the international break, yet after returning to training on Wednesday, the striker should be fit for Sunday’s clash. This is also the case for fellow striker, Alexander Lacazette, who withdrew from the French squad before the international break began due to a groin problem. The latter also returned to training on Wednesday and is set to start alongside Aubameyang at the Vitality.
Predicted Starting XI’s
AFC Bournemouth (4-4-1-1): Begovic; Francis, S. Cook, Ake, Daniels; Ibe, Gosling, L. Cook, Fraser; Brooks; Wilson.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Leno; Bellerin, Mustafi, Holding, Kolasinac; Torreira, Xhaka; Iwobi, Ozil Aubameyang; Lacazette.
Stats
Arsenal have won nine points from losing positions in the Premier League this season.
The Gunners have only ever lost to the Cherries once, but have not won in their last two trips to Vitality Stadium.
Despite defeat against Manchester United last time at home, the Cherries have not lost consecutive games at Vitality Stadium since August 2017.
Seven goals have come off the bench this season for the Gunners, the highest of any team in the Premier League.
Score Prediction: Bournemouth 1 Arsenal 2
Bournemouth’s strong start to the season has dipped in recent weeks but they will look to get back on track. Arsenal are proving tough to beat and though they are not playing the flowing football from earlier in the season, goals are likely at both ends of the pitch in this one.
