Bournemouth are facing mounting injury concerns, with more players recently joining the list, and this could impact the outcome of the upcoming match.
The team from the south of England have failed to score in three of their last four outings. Leicester City's defence proved as impenetrable as Chelsea's and Liverpool's. Bournemouth can only blame themselves for their loss to the Premier League newcomers, as they dominated possession, especially in the second half: 19-6 in shots during the match and 12-1 after the break. The expected goals suggested the score should have been 2:1, not 0:1 (2.16-0.79). They nearly wasted it all, managing to test the keeper with just two shots out of 19. They couldn't breach Mads Hermansen. How do they plan to overcome Arsenal, who concede less than a goal per game thanks to David Raya's brilliant performance?
Arsenal's goalkeeper is fit, but the participation of several key players remains doubtful. Bukayo Saka was injured in the match against Greece, Kai Havertz didn't feature for Germany, and Gabriel Martinelli lasted only five minutes against Chile. Let's not forget Martin Ødegaard's injuries. The return of the first three is anticipated on Saturday, but what if they don't play? At least Mikel Merino is fit again. There are also defensive concerns: Jurrien Timber and Oleksandr Zinchenko have injuries.
The last five encounters have all ended in favour of Arsenal, with three of them being decisive wins. Arsenal are undoubtedly stronger, but even if most of their key players can take to the field, what condition will they be in? Bournemouth might have a chance to make a mark, though it remains risky. A safer bet is both teams to score: Arsenal scored in 9 of their last 10 matches, while Bournemouth did the same in 9 of their last 10 home games.
|
Andoni Iraola
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
|
Kepa Arrizabalaga
|
gk. | 4 | -7 |
|
Mark Travers
|
gk. | 1 | -1 |
|
Adam Smith
|
df. | 7 | 0 |
|
Illia Zabarnyi
|
df. | 7 | 0 |
|
Milos Kerkez
|
df. | 7 | 0 |
|
Julian Araujo
|
df. | 5 | 0 |
|
Marcos Senesi
|
df. | 5 | 0 |
|
Dean Huijsen
|
df. | 3 | 0 |
|
Chris Mepham
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
James Hill
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Max Aarons
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Alex Scott
|
mf. | 7 | 0 |
|
Antoine Semenyo
|
mf. | 7 | 3 |
|
Lewis Cook
|
mf. | 7 | 1 |
|
Marcus Tavernier
|
mf. | 7 | 1 |
|
Ryan Christie
|
mf. | 7 | 0 |
|
Dango Ouattara
|
mf. | 6 | 1 |
|
Philip Billing
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
|
Gavin Kilkenny
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Tyler Adams
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Justin Kluivert
|
fw. | 7 | 0 |
|
Luis Sinisterra
|
fw. | 7 | 1 |
|
Evanilson
|
fw. | 6 | 1 |
|
Enes Ünal
|
fw. | 4 | 0 |
|
David Brooks
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Mikel Arteta
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
|
David Raya
|
gk. | 7 | -6 |
|
Norberto Neto
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Gabriel dos Santos Magalhães
|
df. | 7 | 2 |
|
William Saliba
|
df. | 7 | 0 |
|
Jurriën David Norman Timber
|
df. | 6 | 0 |
|
Ben White
|
df. | 5 | 0 |
|
Riccardo Calafiori
|
df. | 5 | 0 |
|
Jakub Piotr Kiwior
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
|
Oleksandr Zinchenko
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
|
Takehiro Tomiyasu
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Kieran Tierney
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Kai Havertz
|
mf. | 7 | 4 |
|
Thomas Teye Partey
|
mf. | 7 | 1 |
|
Declan Rice
|
mf. | 6 | 0 |
|
Martin Ødegaard
|
mf. | 3 | 0 |
|
Ethan Chidiebere Nwaneri
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
|
Jorginho
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
|
Mikel Merino
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Myles Anthony Lewis-Skelly
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Gabriel Teodoro Martinelli Silva
|
fw. | 7 | 2 |
|
Leandro Trossard
|
fw. | 7 | 2 |
|
Saka Bukayo
|
fw. | 7 | 2 |
|
Gabriel Jesus
|
fw. | 5 | 0 |
|
Raheem Sterling
|
fw. | 3 | 0 |
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