Arsenal would be eager to continue their excellent run of form. They are currently the only team, apart from Manchester City who has a 100% win record so far. Mikel Arteta’s young squad would be eager to extend this streak.
They have scored a total of six goals in tough matches against Leicester at home and Crystal Palace away. They are currently second on the points table.
Their opponents, Bournemouth have already secured a surprise win against Aston Villa. They would seek to recover from their 4-0 thumping at the hands of Manchester City and hold back Arsenal’s dangerous attack.
In terms of injuries, Arsenal has a surprisingly fit and healthy squad. The likes of Emile Smith-Rowe, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Kieran Tierney have all returned to full duty and were on the bench during the match against Leicester. All three of them also came off the bench to replace Bukayo Saka, Ben White, and Oleksander Zinchenko. Eddie Nketiah also came off the bench to replace the player of that match, Gabriel Jesus.
Of the injured players, academy product Reiss Nelson is the sole player with a long-term injury. Reports say he may be out for a couple of months, which has become a roadblock to talks regarding his future.
Arsenal’s sole another injured player, new signing Fabio Viera is expected to return in the match against Bournemouth. Viera has not received the opportunity to shine the way Zinchenko and Jesus have due to a foot injury. However, he was recently spotted in training many times. It is likely he would be taking a spot on the substitute bench.
Viera, alongside right-back Cédric Soares and Smith-Rowe are expected to start in Arsenal U21’s outing against Swansea’s U23s.
Key Players for Arsenal
Arsenal have continued their electric form from pre-season into their starting matches. New signings, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksander Zinchenko have particularly stood out in recent outings.
Jesus scored twice and assisted twice against Leicester. In both matches, he was a constant threat in the box. His movement and ability to make chances for himself and others make him a constant threat. He also takes the pressure off of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, who are allowed better options and more space for their attacks.
Zinchenko’s presence causes the Arsenal attack to start to shift to their left side. His progressive passes and carries are better than Ben White and have allowed Xhaka and Martinelli to show their attacking ability better, as seen in their match against Leicester. It would be interesting to see Tomiyasu’s impact on this Arsenal defense, and how Kieran Tierney may change things up if need be.
