GW 13: Bournemouth vs. Arsenal

Bournemouth against Arsenal is the final game that I’m going to cover this week. These teams are only separated by 1 place in the Premier League at the moment with Arsenal in 5th and Bournemouth in 6th making it a very important fixture. In the last 6 meetings between the two teams Arsenal have won 4 Bournemouth have won 1 and there has been 1 draw. More recently though, in the last 3 meetings, each team has won 1 and there has been 1 draw. The last meeting between the two sides was a 2-1 victory for Bournemouth last year. This shows that in recent years Bournemouth have started to improve (particularly against Arsenal) and their recent form against Arsenal shows that they could come out on top in this match. With both teams coming into this match in poor form it becomes crucial that they get the 3 points if they want to keep their Europa League spot.

Bournemouth come into this match losing their last 2 matches, losing 2-1 to both Newcastle and Manchester United. This is very poor, showing that luck finally might be catching up to them. One good thing to consider when looking into this match is the fact that they are at home. They have only lost 1 match at home this season (against Manchester United) whereas they have lost 3 when on the road. This is set to be an attacking match up as there have been more than 2 goals in 7 of Bournemouth's last 8 games. Bournemouth clearly have a very capable attack with players like Fraser, Wilson and Brooks all in fine form but their defence can sometimes be a little shaky. This is highlighted by the fact that they recently conceded 2 to Newcastle, a team who have only scored 9 from the first 12. I if they want to compete with Arsenal they’re going to have to step up their defensive record as Arsenal have an incredibly strong front line.

On the topic of defenders, Ake should be very important in this match as he has been Bournemouth’s stand out defender so far this season. He has made a combined 24 tackles and interceptions over the 12 matches meaning he is averaging 2 a game. He is also making just above 50 passes a match and has grabbed 1 goal this season. On the attacking side of things Callum Wilson is expected to be the main man and will need to have a top performance. He has already scored 6 goals and completed 4 assists this season showing that he has been lethal in front of goal as well as a creator. He has played a part in 48% of Bournemouth’s goals and without his attacking influence they would really be struggling at the moment. The final Bournemouth player worth looking at is Ryan Fraser. The Scottish Messi, as he has recently become known as, is top of the assist charts on 6. To add on to that he has another 3 goals. He has been an incredible creative player for them this season and his 13 big chances created is best in the Premier League. His creative presence will be crucial in this match as Bournemouth will need to find a number of goals to make up for their defensive insecurities.

Arsenal also come into this game on a bit of a dry streak in form without a win in their last 3 games. Admittedly these matches all ended in draws and extended Arsenal’s unbeaten run to 16 in all competitions, 10 of these being in the Premier League. This is a good run but they have been very lucky over this period coming back from behind against Crystal Palace, Wolves and Liverpool over their last 3 matches. Their terrible first half record needs to be sorted out immediately as they haven’t scored before half time in their last 3 PL matches and even worse, they haven’t been ahead at half time this whole Premier League season. They can’t keep this up especially when they play teams like Bournemouth who will definitely capitalize on a weak start.

Once again, Lacazette will be the key man for Arsenal. In his 9 starts this season he has managed 5 goals and 2 assists contributing to a goal every 128 minutes. This means he only has 1 less goal contribution than teammate Aubameyang who has started 11 matches. Lacazette is also taking more shots per 90 and making more key passes per 90 than Aubameyang. Torreira will be another important player for Arsenal. He has made 662 passes this season which equals out to 52.33 per match. You do have to take into account the fact that Torreira has played as a sub in 5 of his matches playing only a total of 781 minutes. This makes his passing statistics even more impressive. Since he has become a solid fixture in the side he has been the heartbeat of the midfield and has controlled the tempo of most of Arsenal’s matches. He should definitely be needed in this match to both help keep possession and to defend against Bournemouth’s lethal attackers.

Bournemouth aren’t struggling too badly with injuries this weekend but their are a few important players who could miss out. Their injury list includes Begovic, Smith, Stanislas and King. Begovic, Smith and King all played in every one of their games up until their respective injuries proving just how crucial they all are to to the side. Luckily for Bournemouth both Begovic and King are only doubts for the match and could definitely still make the team sheet. Smith on the other hand, isn’t expected to be back fit until the 23rd of February and they’ll have to wait almost 2 months for his return. Stanislas is less crucial to this Bournemouth side and has only made 1 start this season but he will still be missed as he is an important influence from off the bench. Most of Arsenal’s injury problems aren’t affecting major players but Nacho Monreal could be a serious miss. Without him Arsenal will have to play one of either Kolasinac or Granit Xhaka who has deputized at left back this season.

This is a must win game for Arsenal as they are currently 5th in the Premier League and need all 3 points to stay in contention for a top 4 finish. Although Bournemouth are having a good season up to this point, you have to keep in mind that they haven’t really proven themselves against the bigger sides, with their 2 matches against team who finished in the top 6 last season both ending in losses. These include a 2-0 loss to Chelsea and of course, a 2-1 loss to Manchester United. This not only shows that they have endured an easy start to the season but also, when they come up against bigger sides like Arsenal, they start to fall apart. Although Arsenal are in poor form lately I have to back them to get a 2-1 victory.