After a statement win against North London rivals Tottenham, Arsenal face Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon for the penultimate home game of the season.
In September, Arsenal managed to cruise to a 4-0 victory against the Cherries at the Vitality Stadium, with Kai Havertz scoring his first Premier League goal for the Gunners.
This exact fixture last season saw Reiss Nelson score THAT goal, which resurrected Arsenal’s title hopes. I’m sure Mikel Arteta will be hoping for a more comfortable game than last season; though, Bournemouth are coming into this game off the back of back-to-back wins.
Goalkeeper
This one is fairly easy to guess! David Raya will remain in goal for Arsenal. He currently has 14 Premier League clean sheets, and if he gets another one on Saturday, then he will be confirmed as the golden glove winner this season.
Defenders
With Jurrien Timber knocking on the door, Mikel Arteta will have all his defensive options available for the first time since August. It seems this game may be too soon to see Jurrien Timber start; however, he could be present on the Arsenal bench.
The left-back position has been changed around in the last month, and there has been a lot of competition for a spot in the team, with Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Takehiro Tomiyasu all battling against each other to claim the role.
The back four is expected to consist of Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Midfielders
With Thomas Partey being trusted by Mikel Arteta recently, the midfield trio is likely to be Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, and Thomas Partey.
Jorghino is expected to be on the bench for Saturday’s game, though there are talks that Arsenal will extend his contract by one year, with reports stating Jorghino is likely to accept this offer and stay at Arsenal for another season before potentially returning to Italy.
Both Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith-Rowe have fallen out of favour and are likely to be watching the first half from the bench.
Forwards
The forwards in the squad have been giving Mikel Arteta a selection headache for the past few weeks.
Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli have failed to start together since January 30th, when Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 2-1.
With everyone being fit and with reports that Arsenal could cash in on Gabriel Jesus in the summer, but only for the right price, I think Mikel Arteta will remain with the front three he has used in the last two games.
This consists of Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, and Leandro Trossard. Once again, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson will be expected to be on the bench.
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