Bournemouth vs Arsenal

Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal head to the Vitality Stadium to take on out-of-form Bournemouth.

A gut-wrenching 1-0 defeat at newly promoted Leicester City gave Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola a lot to think about during the international break, condemning his team to a third loss in their last four Premier League games (W1). On a more positive note, a 3-1 triumph against Southampton beforehand handed the Cherries only their second victory in six home league outings (D2, L2). That record will likely worsen come the end of Gameweek 8 unless Iraola’s men defy their notorious struggle against England’s finest. Indeed, Bournemouth’s last ten Premier League wins have come against sides from the bottom half of the table, suggesting their bid to end a five-match losing H2H run against Arsenal is nearly unattainable, especially considering their last home win against this opposition dates back to January 2018.

On the other hand, Arsenal have followed that upset with three victories from their last four Premier League visits to Boscombe (D1), including back-to-back triumphs by an aggregate score of 7-0. Unlike their opposition, the Gunners welcomed October’s pause in high spirits after winning four consecutive matches in all competitions, including a 3-1 comeback win against Southampton in their most recent league clash. Mikel Arteta’s men have been equally outstanding on the road, winning their first two Premier League away outings this season ‘to nil’ before conceding a devastating stoppage-time equalizer in a 2-2 draw against Manchester City last time out. Making it three out of four would see Arsenal become only the second Premier League team after Liverpool to post 2,000 top-flight wins.