Arsenal vs Bournemouth: Preview, predictions and lineups

Premier League table-toppers Arsenal are back in action for Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off as they welcome in-form Bournemouth to the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners have bounced back impressively from their annual April stumble, rattling off three consecutive wins to keep themselves well in the title race. However, an unprecedented fourth-straight league success is still in Manchester City’s hands after they matched Arsenal’s North London derby victory with a win away at Nottingham Forest.

City are just a point behind Mikel Arteta’s men having played a game fewer. The gap will be four points by the time the Cityzens kick-off against Wolves should Arsenal win on home soil this weekend.

Bournemouth, however, will prove to be far from a walk in the park. The Andoni Iraola era took some time to ignite, but the Cherries have been one of the most productive teams in the division since they secured their first Premier League win on Matchday 10.

Iraola’s side have struggled against the league’s best, but they head into Saturday’s game having won back-to-back games and with genuine European aspiratons.

Here’s 90min’s preview of the game.

Arsenal vs Bournemouth H2H record (Last Five Games)

Current form (all competitions)

Arteta could name another unchanged side for Bournemouth’s visit. The Arsenal squad has had almost a week to recover from the derby, and they have no fresh injury concerns.

There’s also hope that Jurrien Timber will be involved for the first time since tearing his ACL in August. The Dutch defender won’t start on Saturday, however.

Arsenal predicted lineup vs Bournemouth (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Partey, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Havertz, Trossard.

There are fears that Antoine Semenyo could be out for the long…