Bournemouth vs Arsenal: Preview, Prediction, Lineup & How to watch on TV

The Arsenal are back in action on Saturday evening as they travel down to the South Coast to face Bournemouth in Gameweek 8 of the 2024/25 Premier League season.

The usual litany of early-season breaks means the new campaign is yet to find its groove, but Arsenal remain unbeaten in all competitions through the first two months. The Gunners had the luxury of playing three home games on the spin before the break - winning all three - but now they're back on the road.

Bournemouth have rarely tasted success against the north Londoners, and their indifferent but somewhat unfortunate start means they have their work cut out this weekend. The Cherries enjoyed an impressive purple patch under Andoni Iraola midway through the Spaniard's debut season but faltered down the stretch to finish 12th.

Arsenal will move to the top of the Premier League table with a win at the Vitality on Saturday with both Manchester City and Liverpool in action on Sunday. Bournemouth are aiming to climb into the top half having lost at Leicester two weeks ago.

Join us for our Bournemouth vs Arsenal preview, which features key information such as team news, predicted lineups, guidance on how to watch this Premier League clash on TV and an inevitably correct score prediction.

Bournemouth vs Arsenal: Preview, Prediction, Lineup & How to watch on TV

What time does Bournemouth vs Arsenal Kick-Off?

• When is kick-off? Saturday 19 October, 2024
• What time is kick-off? 17:30 (BST)
• Where is it played? Emirates Stadium, London
• Referee: Rob Jones

Bournemouth vs Arsenal Head-to-Head Record

Arsenal like facing Bournemouth. The two clubs have faced off 16 times since 1987, with the Gunners winning 13 of these duels. Bournemouth's sole victory arrived against an Arsene Wenger-led side in January 2018. Mikel Arteta's first-ever game in charge of Arsenal arrived at the Vitality Stadium in December 2019 - a 1-1 draw.

Is Bournemouth vs Arsenal on TV?

This fixture has been selected for TV coverage in the UK and will be broadcast on various Sky Sports channels, including Main Event and Premier League. Sky Go users can also tune in on the move. FuboTV will be streaming Bournemouth vs Arsenal in the USA and Canada, but NBC is the primary broadcaster in the States.

Bournemouth Team News

The hosts enter Saturday's game with few injury concerns, but they're still without long-term absentee Tyler Adams due to a back problem.

Iraola has settled upon a XI at the start of the new season, but there could be a couple of changes from the team that was beaten at Leicester before the break.

Summer arrival Dean Huijsen could return to the backline, while Alex Scott will be hoping for a start in midfield.

Predicted Bournemouth lineup vs Arsenal: Kepa; Huijsen, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Cook, Scott; Semenyo, Christie, Tavernier; Evanilson.

Arsenal team news

Arteta's squad endured a few bruises over the break, but they returned to London Colney relatively unscathed. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are the freshest injury concerns, but neither player has done much damage to their hamstring and calf respectively and both are in contention for Saturday's game.

Kai Havertz and Thomas Partey both avoided international duty for different reasons, but the pair should also be included in Saturday's XI. Havertz could once again work in tandem with Leandron Trossard.

There's more doubt over the statuses of Jurrien Timber and Ben White, while the Gunners are set to be without Martin Odegaard, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Kieran Tierney. Neto is ineligible.

Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Bournemouth: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Partey, Rice; Saka, Trossard, Havertz; Sterling.

Bournemouth vs Arsenal Score Prediction

Arsenal have historically dominated the Cherries, and these are encounters that Gunners must breeze by if they're to fulfil their ambitions this season. Bournemouth have been inconsistent at the start of the new season, but they will be no walkover - they're a tactically challenging team to face, especially at home.

Iraola's side are direct, and they will aim to win back possession high up the pitch. However, they're also comfortable playing without the ball and boast won of the lowest possession shares in the division - primarily because of their directness.

This could be a frenetic Saturday evening encounter which Arsenal may struggle to control, but you've got to back the visitors to maintain their strong start to the 2024/25 campaign in this one.

Prediction: Bournemouth 1-2 Arsenal

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