Arsenal will look to kick off 2026 in style when they travel to Bournemouth on Saturday at 5:30pm.
The Gunners have won each of their last six matches across all competitions — including penalty shootouts — and their last four league games after a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa at the start of December.
Up next is a Bournemouth side whose form nosedived at the end of 2025, failing to win any of their last 10 matches and taking just five points during that time — slipping to 15th in the Premier League table in the process.
Arsenal predicted XI vs Bournemouth
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Merino; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard.
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Arsenal team news vs Bournemouth
Declan Rice was ruled out in the lead-up to Arsenal’s resounding 4-1 win over Aston Villa, but he wasn’t missed too much as the Gunners crushed Unai Emery’s men.
Mikel Arteta has expressed hope that he’ll have the England international available again at the weekend, though with the likes of Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi to call on, he may not risk Rice from the start.
Riccardo Calafiori’s status for this match remains unclear, while it’s likely to be a little too soon for Cristhian Mosquera to return to the squad after his ankle injury.
Max Dowman also has an ankle problem and won’t be back until next month.
Arsenal out for revenge at the Vitality Stadium
Nobody seems able to stop Arsenal right now, and they’ll be seeing this match against a chronically out-of-form side as a huge chance to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table.
However, they will absolutely not be underestimating Bournemouth. Anything but, actually.
Read more: Bournemouth vs Arsenal predictions and betting tips
That’s because the Cherries did the double over Arsenal last season, beating them 2-0 at the Vitality before grabbing a shock 2-1 comeback win at the Emirates in May as the Gunners limped toward the end of the season.
Those defeats will still be fresh in the memory for the Arsenal players, who will use them as extra motivation to exact revenge and pick up a vital win in the title race.