Simon Dalton presents his bet on the friendly match.
Arsenal had a great Premier League season last year, earning 89 impressive points. But even this wasn't enough to win the title: they finished two points behind Manchester City. Arsenal clearly don't want to lower their goals. Can they start the pre-season with a strong win?
Arsenal
Arsenal has four friendly matches in the next two weeks, and Bournemouth is the weakest opponent. Bookmakers see Arsenal as clear favourites, but it's unlikely they'll play their best in the first match. Gabriel, Martinelli, Saka, Raya, Ramsdale, Rice, Havertz, Saliba, Tomiyasu, and Tierney will miss the Bournemouth game. With these major team issues, Arsenal might struggle to beat Bournemouth.
Bournemouth
Last season, Bournemouth didn't look like pushovers. They finished 12th in the Premier League table, which is high for them. They could have finished even higher if not those three losses at the very end of the season. Bournemouth lost both matches to Arsenal with a total score of 0-7. But in pre-season, they could definitely get revenge.
Prediction
Arsenal will play a half-reserve team against Bournemouth. This makes the odds on their opponent even more surprising, especially since Bournemouth has already played some pre-season games. Bournemouth can certainly avoid a defeat in this match.
