Bournemouth aren’t entirely out of the woods AKA the relegation zone, but they’re coming into this matchup with Arsenal brimming with confidence, as the Cherries are undefeated in their past three outings. Furthermore, they’ve beaten clubs such as Manchester United and Chelsea this season. Will they be able to take down another top-tier squad in the form of Arsenal? Or will the Gunners beat Bournemouth anew?
For more about the English Premier League, you can also check out our breakdown of Chelsea vs. Manchester United.
[sc:Soccer ]Bournemouth vs. Arsenal Preview
Where: Dean Court, Bournemouth
When: Sunday, February 7, 8:30 AM ET
Line: Bournemouth -120 at Arsenal EVEN, tie -115; total: 2.5 – view all Premier League lines
Betting on Bournemouth
[sc:Soccer240banner ]If there’s one thing Bournemouth have in their advantage heading into Sunday’s contest with Arsenal, it has to be momentum. Eddie Howe’s squad has been in terrific form of late, having won 12 of their last 14 games overall.
In the Cherries’ most recent outing at home, they destroyed relegation-candidate Norwich City, 3-0, to stay five points clear of the dreaded bottom three. Although Bournemouth was beaten in the possession battle with Norwich City enjoying the possession for 55 percent of the time, the Cherries managed to produce more shots overall (15-10) and shots on goal (8-3).
Bournemouth must have been delighted at the sight of striker Benik Afobe scoring another goal for the club against Norwich City. Since arriving in the south coast in January, Afobe has scored in three of four games for Bournemouth. His deadly form will be much counted upon by the Cherries, when they go up against Afobe’s former club, Arsenal.
Bournemouth will be looking to strike early against Arsenal, as the Cherries have the most goals inside the first 15 minutes of Premier League games with seven.
Betting on Arsenal
The Gunners don’t need any more reminders how important the game against Bournemouth is for them. Once a Premier League favorite, Arsene Wenger’s club is now sitting on just a fourth-place spot on the table and is desperate to end its winless streak in league play.
Arsenal are coming off a 2-1 win over Burnley in the FA Cup, but the Gunner’s league form is still in a rut. For one, they haven’t won in their last three EPL contests. Arsenal’s offense has gone sour during that stretch, as they’ve failed to record a goal in any of those games, which includes a goalless draw with Southampton on February 2. That makes it just the first time in seven years that Arsenal weren’t able to score in three consecutive league contests.
Having said all of that, Arsenal remain a potent offensive team, as they’re currently sixth in the league with 37 goals.
With the likes of Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sánchez, Aaron Ramsey, and Mesut Özil on the pitch, Arsenal have the pieces to break down Bournemouth’s defense again. Arsenal beat the Cherries on December 28, 2-0.
Giroud leads the Gunners with 12 league goals, Sanchez has six, while Ramsey has four. Sanchez appears to be the key to Arsenal’s offense, as the Chilean is due for a big outing after returning to starting duties in the Southampton game. He was scoreless in that game but had nine touches in the penalty area and five attempts. Özil, on the other hand, was fantastic in the earlier meeting with Bournemouth, wherein he recorded an assist and scored a goal.
Writer’s Prediction
Arsenal (EVEN) wins, 2-1.
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