Bournemouth v Arsenal predictions: Expect another fast start from Gunners

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Bournemouth v Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Premier League & Main Event, 5.30pm Saturday

Best bet

Arsenal-Arsenal double result
2pts 6-5 general

Team news

Bournemouth
Dominic Solanke and Jordan Zemura face fitness tests. Joe Rothwell, Ryan Fredericks and David Brooks remain sidelined.

Arsenal
Summer signing Fabio Vieira is still short of match fitness but Mikel Arteta has no fresh injury concerns and could name the same 11 who started the 4-2 win over Leicester.

Match preview

Three games into the 2021-22 Premier League season, Arsenal were bottom of the table with no points and no goals, and manager Mikel Arteta was odds-on favourite in the sack race.

A year on, things look considerably brighter for Arteta's Gunners, who are rated just 4-9 to make it three wins out of three on their trip to relegation favourites Bournemouth.

They came through a trappy opening fixture at Crystal Palace, winning 2-0, before turning on the style in a 4-2 home victory over Leicester last Saturday, when summer signing Gabriel Jesus scored twice in the first 35 minutes.

Foxes keeper Danny Ward made a couple of smart saves to deny Jesus a first-half hat-trick and Arteta will be demanding another fast start from his side on the south coast.

Arsenal blasted out of the blocks against Palace, where Gabriel Martinelli put them 1-0 up in the 20th minute having missed an excellent chance earlier in the game.

"We were really lively and sharp from the beginning," said Arteta after the opening-night win at Selhurst Park and odds-against quotes about the Gunners leading at half-time and full-time at Bournemouth make plenty of appeal.

That is despite the fact that Scott Parker's Cherries pinged the lids themselves, scoring within two minutes of their return to the top flight on their way to a 2-0 home win over big-spending Aston Villa.

Their second game of the season was less straightforward as they lost 4-0 at champions Manchester City, having trailed 3-0 after 37 minutes, although Parker will have been pleased that his side kept the scoreline respectable in the second half.

Bournemouth's fate will not be decided by fixtures such as last weekend's trip to the Etihad Stadium, where they were 40-1 for victory, and they may also be outclassed by Arsenal, who were on course for a top-four finish before damaging defeats at Tottenham and Newcastle late last season.

The Gunners have strengthened significantly over the summer, signing striker Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from City, and both have slotted in seamlessly, while William Saliba is impressing at centre-back after an excellent 2021-22 campaign on loan at Marseille.

In contrast, Bournemouth new boys Joe Rothwell and Ryan Fredericks are still sidelined and Dominic Solanke, whose 29 Championship goals last season helped the Cherries to automatic promotion, missed the trip to Manchester with an ankle problem.

Solanke is hoping to return to the squad against Arsenal but Bournemouth may struggle to halt the progress of a settled, confident Gunners unit.

During their chaotic start to last term, Arteta used 22 different players as Arsenal lost their first three league fixtures against Brentford, Chelsea and Manchester City.

This time he is likely to name the same starting 11 for the third game running and punters should expect a similar outcome to the Gunners' victories over Palace and Leicester.

Key stat

Arsenal beat each of the Premier League's bottom four away from home last season, scoring 13 goals.

Inside info

Bournemouth

Penalty taker Dominic Solanke
Assist ace Philip Billing
Set-piece aerial threat Philip Billing
Card magnet Philip Billing

Arsenal

Penalty taker Bukayo Saka
Assist ace Bukayo Saka
Set-piece aerial threat Gabriel Magalhaes
Card magnet Granit Xhaka

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