Bournemouth vs Arsenal
Arsenal finished 2025 at the top of the Premier League table, and they will kick off the 2026 calendar year with a winnable game against Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium on Saturday night.
The Gunners finished the year strong with a four-game winning streak in the English top-flight, including a statement victory against an in-form Aston Villa squad, who previously won 11 straight games. As a result, Mikel Arteta’s men have a four-point cushion at the top of the standings at the halfway point of the 2025-26 campaign.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth have been on a freefall on and off the pitch lately. The Cherries are without a victory in 10 matches after drawing 2-2 against Chelsea last time out, and Andoni Iraola has been linked with the vacant post at Stamford Bridge, following Enzo Maresca’s sudden departure.
Without further ado, check out today’s SBOTOP match preview by reading more below.
Talking Points
Semenyo isn’t the only one who could leave Bournemouth
The mood around the Vitality Stadium has gone gloomy in the past few weeks, as Bournemouth are now winless in their last 10 games. Since their 2-0 home win against Nottingham Forest last October, the Cherries have registered five draws and five losses, plummeting down to 15th in the English top-flight standings.
Bournemouth have also scored only one goal in their last three home games, which is not the kind of statistic to learn about ahead of Antoine Semenyo’s expected transfer to Manchester City. Losing the 25-year-old winger is a massive blow for the Cherries, as Semenyo leads the team in scoring with nine goals and three assists so far this term. Semenyo may not be the only one who’ll leave Bournemouth soon, as Andoni Iraola has been linked to the Chelsea and Manchester United jobs. However, his recent results have done him no favours.
To add salt to the wound, the Cherries won’t have a full squad ahead of the Arsenal game, as Tyler Adams (knee), Ben Gannon-Doak (thigh), and Veljko Milosavljevic (knee) are injured, while Lewis Cook (neck) and Ryan Christie (knee) are iffy to play on Saturday.
Fitness concerns for Arsenal
Arsenal missed the services of Declan Rice due to a knee injury, and manager Mikel Arteta expressed hope that the Englishman would be fit for Saturday. Meanwhile, Riccardo Calafiori (unspecified), Max Dowman (ankle), and Cristhian Mosquera (ankle) are questionable to play against Bournemouth this weekend. Gabriel Magalhaes suffered cramps against Aston Villa, but the Brazilian centre-back should be good to go this weekend to line up with William Saliba, Piero Hincapie, and Jurrien Timber at the rearguard.
The Gunner’s No. 9 position remains an enigma, as Viktor Gyokeres’ struggles continue. The Swede was ineffective despite their dominant performance against Aston Villa, and to make matters worse, Gabriel Jesus scored a late goal after subbing in for Gyokeres in the 77th minute.
History
Bournemouth did the league double over Arsenal last season after having won just one of their first 14 Premier League games against them (D2, L11). In the 2-0 loss in October 2024, it was the first time that Arsenal failed to score against Bournemouth in 16 Premier League games.
The Cherries beat Everton 1-0 in their first league game of 2025. They’ve not won their opening match in consecutive calendar years since 2011-12, when they beat Swindon and Wycombe in League One. Bournemouth have also lost 12 of their 13 Premier League games against sides starting the day at the top of the standings.
Arsenal have lost their opening league game in just one of the last 10 calendar years (W7, D2). They have also lost just one of their last 16 Premier League games (W12, D3).
Betting Tip
The Premier League 2026 odds expect Arsenal to claim maximum points on the road this Saturday. Arsenal are 1.44 favourites to win, whereas Bournemouth are 5.80 underdogs, and a draw is valued at 4.20 in the 1X2 market. Facing a downtrodden team is certainly what the doctor ordered for the Gunners to kick off the new year.
After they shellacked Aston Villa, there could be more Premier League 2026 highlights for Arsenal fans to enjoy this weekend. Besides our recommended bet, bettors may also be tempted to add Over 2.50 at 1.63, Over 2.75 at 1.84, Over 3.00 at 2.11, and even Total Goal 4-6 at 2.80 to the parlay. Furthermore, a Correct Score of 2-1 in favour of the Cherries – the result of their last league meeting – seems like a long shot at 20.00.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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