Bournemouth vs Arsenal LIVE: Premier League team news and line-ups as Bukayo Saka not in squad
Bournemouth have just one win against Arsenal in 14 attempts in the Premier League
Arsenal visit Bournemouth and have the chance to go top of the Premier League with a win on the south coast.
Before the international break, Mikel Arteta’s side reeled off four wins in a row, including the 2-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain and 3-1 comeback win against Southampton, to remain on pace with Liverpool and Manchester City.
The Gunners had a couple of injury concerns following the international break, and Bukayo Saka is not in the travelling squad after picking up a knock while on England duty, though Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinell are available.
Bournemouth have just two wins this season - against struggling Everton and Southampton - and the Cherries have only one victory against the Gunners in 14 previous attempts in the Premier League.
Follow live updates from the Premier League clash below as Bournemouth host Arsenal
Bournemouth vs Arsenal line-ups
Teams! Bukayo Saka did not travel with the Arsenal squad so he does not play on the south coast after injuring his hamstring while on England duty. Kai Havertz makes it, while Gabriel Martinelli is on the bench. Raheem Sterling starts while Mikel Merino is handed his first Premier League start.
Bournemouth XI: Kepa, Araujo, Zabarnyi, Sensei Kerkez, Cook, Scott, Ouattara, Tavernier, Semenyo, Evanilson
Subs: Travers, Huijsen, Brooks, Christie, Smith, Sinisterra, Kluivert, Unal, Adams.
Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Gabriel, Saliba, Calafiori; Partey, Rice; Sterling, Trossard, Merino; Havertz
Subs: Setford, Jesus, Martinelli, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Kabia, Lewis-Skelly, Nwaneri.
Bournemouth vs Arsenal
Arsenal can go 14 top-flight matches unbeaten for the first time under Mikel Arteta, while the Gunners are unbeaten in 16 matches in all competitions since a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.
It’s Arsenal’s longest unbeaten run since December 2018 under Unai Emery.
Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola on breaking down Arsenal’s away defence
Arsenal have conceded just two away goals in the Premier League so far this season, and one of those came when they were down to 10 men in the 2-2 draw against Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta’s side kept clean sheets in the wins at Aston Villa and Tottenham in what was a tricky start away from home for the Gunners.
“You have to try to respect them, but maybe not so much,” said Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola.
“I would say they were the team from last season where we created less than them in both games. We haven’t been the team we want to be against them and it’s a challenge for us.
“You have to win duels against strong defenders and impose yourself.”
Arsenal without Saka and Odegaard for first time in three years
Incredible stat. Arsenal are without both Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard for the first time since January 2021.
Here’s Mikel Arteta: “We tried the last few days [to get him fit]. He didn’t have the right feeling, so we decided there was no point pushing him.
“That’s why we have various options. It is a good test for the team.”
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta did not speak to FA in search for England manager
Mikel Arteta says he would have happily played for England but confirmed he was not one of the candidates the FA approached to replace Gareth Southgate.
While FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said “approximately 10” candidates had been interviewed, Arteta confirmed he was not one of them, nor is he at a point where the prospect of an international management position entices him.
He said: “No, I didn’t speak to them. I’m not one of those 10. I’m happy enough right now with all the responsibilities and the amount of things we want to achieve and do here. So, at the moment, I’m not thinking about it.”
PA
Kai Havertz and his Arsenal ‘turning point’
Kai Havertz was struggling early on in his Arsenal career last season when the Gunners received a late penalty against Bournemouth.
After goals from Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard gave Arsenal a two-goal lead, Havertz was handed the spot-kick for the chance to score his first Arsenal goal.
Havertz converted and his improvement has been clear ever since. The German has scored in four games in a row for Arsenal and is perhaps the most complete centre forward in the top-flight.
“I think that was a turning point, for sure,” Arteta said when asked about Havertz’s goal at Bournemouth last season.
“The players took ownership, which is the best thing. They decided to do something for the player. That straight away made him feel special, it made him feel respected and admired. Everybody was willing and wishing the best for him. He delivered.
“That day, the connection towards the supporters went to a different level as well and everything started to click.
“Since then, the story is unbelievable. His involvement in every match, what he produces to help us win matches is incredible and very positive obviously.”
Arsenal’s impressive Premier League record against Bournemouth
Arsenal have lost just once against Bournemouth since the Cherries were first promoted to the Premier League, which came in a 2-1 victory at home in January 2018. The Gunners have also won their last five matches against Bournemouth in all competitions.
May 2024: Arsenal 3-0 Bournemouth
September 2023: Bournemouth 0-4 Arsenal
March 2023: Arsenal 3-2 Bournemouth
August 2022: Bournemouth 0-3 Arsenal
January 2020: Bournemouth 1-2 Arsenal (FA Cup)
Saka not in Arsenal squad for Bournemouth trip
Bukayo Saka is not in the Arsenal squad that has travelled to Bournemouth today.
We’ll have the confirmed team news and starting line-ups in the next 15 minutes.
Andoni Iraola believes Bournemouth should have more points this season
Bournemouth have just two wins this season and come into the weekend 13th in the table. But manager Andoni Iraola believes the Cherries should be sitting higher.
“If you look at the stats, we should probably have more points,” he said on Friday. “The big mistake we’ve made is the game we lost against Leicester [before the international break].
“The other results are more or less logical, but we have to recover the three points we lost there. We have three games in a row against Champions League teams so we have to recover those points in a difficult way.”
Can Bukayo Saka break the Premier League’s weirdest record?
The race for the most assists across a single Premier League season is weird and unpredictable, often influenced by factors outside the control of its competitors. It is also a record that has stood for more than 20 years, or since Thierry Henry notched his 20th assist of the 2002-03 season. Since then, only Kevin De Bruyne has matched Henry’s figure over 38 games, in 2019-20, but it has been threatened on an almost annual basis over the past two decades.
This year, the immediate frontrunner, flying out of the starting blocks, is Bukayo Saka, who has seven assists through the first seven matches of the Premier League season.
Saka, though, is not the first player whose assist numbers have skyrocketed through the first couple of months of the season. In fact, it has become normal for one of the Premier League’s leading attackers to start the campaign by striking a rich vein of creative form.
Can Bukayo Saka break the Premier League’s weirdest record?
Saka has seven assists in as many matches to start the Premier League, so is Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne’s single-season record of 20 within reach?
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