Arsenal vs Bournemouth predicted starting XI: Safe for Mesut Ozil?

Arsenal will look to keep the new streak alive as they play host to Bournemouth. Here is the predicted starting XI as we hope for three wins in a row.

Arsenal have now won two matches in a row after having alternated wins and losses for some time before that. A 3-0 win against BATE Borisov to secure a berth into the next round of the Europa League gave way to a 2-0 win over Southampton.

I know what you’re thinking – “Two clean sheets in a row! Hot damn!” – and that’s a fine thing to think, but these are two straight home matches in a row, and Bournemouth up next is another home match before carrying us over to Wembley which is pretty much a home game anyway, isn’t it?

But the Cherries come first.

Unlike Southampton, who were fighting for their Premier League life, Bournemouth have very little to play for. They are mired in mid-table obscurity with no hope of moving too much higher and no fears of falling too much lower.

It’s about that time in the season where teams in exactly this position start to slack off for lack of motivation.

Ideally, that means that the Gunners can take advantage and notch a serious momentum boost as we head into Wembley to face the Spuds. Not that it will be easy, because it never is, but after seeing all the missed chances against Southampton, despite it being a relatively comfortable match, I have hopes that Bournemouth will provide just as many chances with not so much missing.

And just in time, Unai Emery has all kinds of abundance to choose from as he suits out his starting XI for this one. So let’s dig in and talk who starts and who doesn’t. We will start in goal.

Keeper

It may be a midweek fixture, but as it is the Premier League, Bernd Leno will keep his place. And, even if he didn’t need to, he earned it with his fantastic shot-stopping against Southampton, keeping a clean sheet by sheer force of will.

Not much else to say about that, let’s get into the formation. There isn’t much reason to chance things up from Southampton, so let’s stick with the 4-2-3-1. Which means the centerback pairing is next.