Bournemouth Set to Battle Arsenal: Key Matchups, Bold Predictions and Starting XI Revealed
Two companions find themselves as adversaries this Saturday night when Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth face off against an Arsenal squad managed by his former youth partner Mikel Arteta.
The graduates of the Basque football breeding ground of Berio in San Sebastián played alongside each other during their school years. While Arteta's destiny as a coach was clear, Iraola's emergence in management was hardly guaranteed. "Mikel was the youngster that observers would approach and ask: 'Who is that?!'" their ex-teammate Jon Adversbe shared with The Guardian in previous years. "Andoni perhaps didn't shine as brightly but he possessed grace."
Both have drawn attention from Premier League technical areas in recent seasons but, similar to those uneven fields back in Spain, it is Arteta whose reputation is soaring higher currently. However, if there's someone who would never dismiss Iraola, it's his former colleague.
"We understand what a quality side they are, how they can challenge you from multiple directions, so we recognize tomorrow's match difficulty," he cautioned. Bournemouth's disappointing results and modest 15th-place league standing indicates that such respect might not be entirely justified.
Here is Sports Illustrated's preview of the encounter.
What Time Does Bournemouth vs. Arsenal Kick-Off?
Bournemouth vs. Arsenal Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (All Competitions)
Bournemouth | Arsenal |
|---|---|
Chelsea 2–2 Bournemouth - 30/12/25 | Arsenal 4–1 Aston Villa - 30/12/25 |
Brentford 4–1 Bournemouth - 27/12/25 | Arsenal 2–1 Brighton - 27/12/25 |
Bournemouth 1–1 Burnley - 20/12/25 | Arsenal 1–1 (8–7 pens) Crystal Palace - 23/12/25 |
Man Utd 4–4 Bournemouth - 15/12/25 | Everton 0–1 Arsenal - 20/12/25 |
Bournemouth 0–0 Chelsea - 6/12/25 | Arsenal 2–1 Wolves - 13/12/25 |
How to Watch Bournemouth vs. Arsenal on TV
Country | TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, Sky GO, Sky GO Extra, NOW TV |
United States | NBC, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, UNIVERSO, UNIVERSO NOW, Peacock |
Canada | DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network Canada |
Mexico | FOX One |
Bournemouth Team News
Beyond Lewis Cook's late fitness assessment and Ryan Christie's continued unavailability, the primary attention regarding Bournemouth's roster this weekend will certainly center on Antoine Semenyo. The club's top goalscorer, key playmaker and set-piece expert has been linked with a departure, but Iraola confirmed on Friday that he won't be joining Manchester City immediately.
"Antoine will feature in this fixture," he stated.
Rarely seen right-back Julián Araujo won't be available for the Cherries after securing a loan move to Celtic this week.
USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams continues his recovery until February, when Ben Gannon-Doak and Veljko Milosavljevic are also anticipated to return.
Bournemouth Predicted Lineup vs. Arsenal
Bournemouth predicted lineup vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Petrović; Smith, Diakité, Senesi, Truffert; Scott, Tavernier; Brooks, Kluivert, Semenyo; Evanilson.
Arsenal Team News
Arteta accidentally disclosed that Declan Rice rejoined training on Friday. It's unclear how the England star's tender knee reacted to that session but there's a compelling case for not risking him for Saturday's southern journey with Liverpool's visit scheduled for next Thursday. Whether Arteta considers those worries is entirely different.
Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori have both been sidelined by the Gunners manager, though his fitness reports are hardly definitive statements.
Arsenal have maintained the identical front six for both of their recent matches which were only three days apart. With nine more fixtures before January concludes, this might finally prompt Arteta to voluntarily utilize the squad depth previously used to compensate for injured personnel.
Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs. Bournemouth
Arsenal predicted lineup vs. Bournemouth (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapié; Ødegaard, Zubimendi, Eze; Madueke, Gyökeres, Martinelli.
Bournemouth vs. Arsenal Score Prediction
"I'm familiar with Andoni extensively and observe his work," Arteta praised this week "I believe it's remarkable." While the general message is clear, some Bournemouth supporters might question that assessment considering recent performances.
Bournemouth haven't secured victory in their previous 10 fixtures. Throughout this stretch, they've conceded three goals on two occasions and allowed four in three separate contests. It seems that selling four members of last campaign's defensive unit (including the keeper) has impacted the Cherries.
Arsenal, if they can recapture that dominant form from the second period against Aston Villa midweek, will be perfectly positioned to capitalize on those defensive weaknesses.