English Premier
2026-01-03 - Bournemouth vs Arsenal
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 3rd January 2025 - Kick Off 5:30pm
This game is live on TV
Bournemouth
Andoni Iraola is not really going to be facing the same pressure as managers at other clubs, despite a prolonged poor period for Bournemouth, but he will be aware that he does need to oversee better results. Instead of looking like a club that could challenge for European Football, Bournemouth are perhaps fortunate to have put so many early points on the board and especially as they are increasingly likely to lose their most influential attacker.
There is a pressure to sell Antoine Semenyo in this window as the player has it written in his contract and any deal has to be concluded before the 11th of January. However, Bournemouth can only focus on trying to turn things around on the field with the team slipping down to 15th in the Premier League table and 9 points clear of the relegation zone. Home form has been a little erratic of late and The Cherries have a 4-4-1 record here this season.
Bournemouth have not won any of the last 10 Premier League games, although 4 of the last 5 have ended in draws. Since beating Nottingham Forest at the Vitality Stadium in October, Bournemouth have played 4 games here and drawn 3 and lost the other.
Ryan Christie and Lewis Cook are doubtful for this fixture. For all of the world it looked like Antoine Semenyo was saying his goodbyes to the fans in the last Bournemouth fixture, but the manager insists he will be available for at least this game.
Arsenal
This could not have been a much better week for Arsenal fans as they watched their team crush 3rd placed Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium and then saw Manchester City drop two points on New Year's Day. Once again Arsenal have opened up a good lead at the top of the standings, but Mikel Arteta was reminded the last five times The Gunners have led on New Year's Day have all ended without the title secured.
The manager will be keen to change that statistic, but he will also be reminding his players that a lot of football is to be played over the next five months. The side are top of the table and 4 points clear of Manchester City and 6 points clear of Aston Villa, but those gaps can be erased very quickly. The Gunners will travel to the South Coast with a 5-2-2 away record in the top flight this season.
Arsenal are unbeaten in 6 games in all competitions and they have won 5 of those in normal time since the late loss at Villa Park in early December. That result was part of a 3 away League game run without a victory, but Arsenal snapped that sequence in a 0-1 win at Everton.
Riccardo Calafiori and Declan Rice are doubts, but Jurrien Timber and Gabriel have returned unscathed.
Head to Head
Bournemouth did the Premier League double over Arsenal last season, including beating them 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium.
Arsenal had won on the 3 previous trips to this Stadium before the loss in October 2024.
Prediction
The week could not have gone much better for Arsenal, but no one associated with the club can truly feel it is a pivotal one to determine the final outcome of the Premier League title.
Mikel Arteta will be looking to build on the momentum and put some real pressure on main rivals Manchester City who will be playing on Sunday.
However, he will also be aware of the problems Bournemouth caused for Arsenal last season with wins in both Premier League fixtures. The conspiracy theorists will also point out that Manchester City might be most likely to sign Antoine Semenyo in the coming days, but they have not been putting a rush on that to ensure the Bournemouth attacker can face the title rivals this weekend.
That will be something to worry the Arsenal fans, but Bournemouth's recent run of form has been concerning to say the least.
In saying that, the underlying numbers suggest Bournemouth have been a little unfortunate at times with the team producing a real threat in the final third. They will certainly feel they can test this Arsenal rearguard with the pace and quality that the attackers can produce and Bournemouth have shown they are not willing to roll over for anyone very easily.
The Cherries should play their part in this afternoon kick off in front of the television cameras, but defensively there have been concerns and that is where Arsenal will look to expose the hosts.
Recent games at the Vitality Stadium have lacked goals, but that may not be the case on Saturday and both teams will have chances to hit the back of the net.
Over 2.5 goals is priced up pretty short, but adding key Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka to have at least one shot on target gives us an odds against quote. The England international has remained a big threat for Arsenal going forward and is always in and around the opposition box, while also being a potential Penalty taker, and any high-scoring game should see Saka plenty involved.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Bournemouth 1-2 Arsenal
