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Arsenal vs Bournemouth preview, team news, possible XI and prediction

By on April 23, 2025

ARSENAL

Arsenal will be looking to tighten their grip on second place when they take on Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium on May 3rd.

Any realistic hopes of the title are now over for another season as Liverpool need just one more win to be crowned champions. Even the most optimistic fans with Arsenal tickets will know the trophy will be heading to Anfield and not the Emirates this year.

Arsenal did their part at the weekend but easing past Ipswich Town 4-0 at Portmand Road. Leandro Trossard scored twice with Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri coming the rout after the hosts were reduced to 10-men for a shocking tackle on Bukayo Saka that left the Arsenal star with an injured ankle.

However, Liverpool restored their commanding lead at the top of the table with a narrow win at Leicester City on Sunday. The Reds now sit 13 points clear with just five games remaining so can wrap up the title with a win over Tottenham this weekend.

Despite the title disappointment, Arsenal still have plenty left to play for. They hold a five point lead in second place but with five teams within nine points, they still need a few more wins to secure second place for the third consecutive season.

The Gunners could also make this an unforgettable campaign after booking their place in the semi-finals of the Champions League with a stunning 5-1 aggregate win over Real Madrid. PSG are up next in the last four with either Barcelona or Inter Milan waiting in the final.

Bournemouth will head to North London early next month off the back of another impressive season as they look to maintain their current eighth place. Dropped points against the likes of Brentford, Ipswich, West Ham and Crystal Palace in recent weeks has seen the Cherries fall out of European contention but they’ll still be hoping to end the season on a high.

How to watch

The game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, kicking off at 5.30pm UK time on Saturday 3rd May. Subscribers can watch the action live on their TV or via the Sky Go app on mobile or tablet devices.

Alternatively, supporters can follow all the action live from a seat at the Emirates. Arsenal vs Bournemouth tickets are still available for sale and can be purchased from the club exchange or via a trusted online reseller.

Team news

Arsenal have suffered with injury issues all season and they aren’t easing any time soon. Gabriel Jesus won’t play again this season and isn’t expected to return until the end of 2025 after undergoing surgery on a serious ACL injury that he sustained in January.

Key centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes has also been ruled out for the remainder of the season following hamstring surgery and the Brazilian international will be a big miss during the final games of the campaign.

Kai Havertz is making good progress in his rehabilitation from hamstring surgery having torn his thigh muscle during Arsenal’s warm weather training camp in Dubai earlier this year. There is a slight chance he could return before the end of the season, but he won’t be available in time to face Bournemouth.

Takehiro Tomiyasu is another long term absentee for the Gunners as he’s still recovering from surgery after going under the knife to resolve a troublesome knee injury that’s hampered him all season.

Riccardo Calafiori has been on the sidelines in recent weeks after suffering a knee injury while playing for Italy during the March international break. The defender could target the Bournemouth game to make his return as he looks to regain full fitness for the final games of the campaign.

Jorginho is facing a race against time to play again this season after suffering a rib injury last week. The Italian is facing ‘weeks’ on the treatment table so won’t be available to face the Cherries in early May.

Bukayo Saka is expected to make a swift recovery from an ankle knock that he sustained against Ipswich.

As for Bournemouth, they’ll be without Enes Unal after he underwent surgery on a knee ligament injury while Ryan Christie is also out with a groin problem. However, Luis Sinisterrra could make his return from a thigh injury.

Possible XI

As this game is sandwiched in-between Arsenal’s huge Champions League semi-final ties with PSG, it’s highly likely that Mikel Arteta will rotate his squad to protect some key players.

David Raya is still expected to retain the gloves but we could see William Saliba, Jacub Kiwior and Myles Lewis-Skelly all rested in defence. Jurrien Timber may keep his place at right-back with Ben White coming in to play at centre-back. If Calafiori is fit we may see him given some minutes alongside White with Kieran Tierney at left-back.

Oleksandr Zinchenko played in midfield against Brentford recently and we may see that again here with Thomas Partey rested and Jorginho injured. Declan Rice is a machine and seems to play almost every game so he may keep his place but Martin Odegaard may be protected. Ethan Nwaneri could be deployed in the attacking midfield role.

Saka is expected to be rested for this game so Raheem Sterling may get a run out on the right wing as he looks to end a disappointing loan spell at Arsenal on a high. Leandro Trossard is expected to start and may be deployed up front to give Mikel Merino a rest. Gabriel Martinelli could start on the left wing but is unlikely to last 90 minutes as he’ll need to be fresh for the PSG clash.

Possible Arsenal XI: Raya, Timber, White, Calafiori, Tierney, Zinchenko, Rice, Nwaneri, Sterling, Trossard, Martinelli

Prediction

This is a very tricky game for Arsenal to navigate as not only are Bournemouth a top side, but the match will be played in the middle of Arsenal’s monumental double-header with PSG.

A full strength Gunners side would be confident of edging this game to claim all three points, but it will be very difficult if Arteta fields a severely weakened side, as expected.

It’s always hard for players to remain fully focussed and committed when playing in-between a huge CL semi-final, but even more so when Arsenal will have very little left to play for in the Premier League.

Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Bournemouth win here, but am backing Arsenal’s second string to nick a point. Arsenal 1-1 Bournemouth