Bournemouth will host Arsenal in the Premier League after both teams progressed to the next round of the EFL Cup. On Wednesday, the Cherries defeated Stoke City with two unanswered goals. Mikel Arteta’s team held on for a tense 1-0 victory over London rivals Brentford.
Preview (Bournemouth vs. Arsenal)
Bournemouth did not lose the lead against a Stoke team lacking in confidence. Andoni Iraola had to look to his bench for a spark of inspiration. Only three minutes had passed after Dominic Solanke’s halftime substitution when Joe Rothwell’s left-footed free-kick eluded everyone and found the back of the net. Solanke immediately made his presence felt. The Cherries were rewarded with a matchup against Liverpool in the fourth round after claiming their first victory since defeating Swansea City in the EFL Cup’s second round.
The only teams that have done worse than Bournemouth at this early point are fellow winless sides Luton Town, Sheffield United, and Burnley. Bournemouth is still without a maximum haul after six games of the current season. They are sitting just above the danger zone in the 17th position. Iraola’s team will have three excellent chances to finally win in October against Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Burnley. Their winless streak in the top division now stands at 10 games following a 4-1 thrashing of Leeds United. Since then they have only scored twice in 450 minutes of Premier League home football.
The Gunners have been drawn to play West Ham United in the fourth round. They will fly south having kept three clean sheets in three away games this season. They successfully shut out Crystal Palace and Everton on unfriendly territory. This is the Gunners’ second consecutive EFL Cup London derby away from home. However, Arsenal’s continuing defensive shortcomings paid them dearly in the North London derby last weekend. Son Heung-min’s brace helped Tottenham Hotspur come from behind twice to steal a point. It dropped Arteta’s team to fifth place in the standings while maintaining their unblemished record.
Team News
The Bournemouth striker’s promising cameo on Wednesday came to an end when he was forced off with an ankle injury in the 85th minute. Iraola has acknowledged that it would be “tough” for his star player to recover in time for the weekend. Emiliano Marcondes (foot), Alex Scott (knee), Ryan Fredericks (calf), Lloyd Kelly (calf), and Chris Mepham (unspecified) have all joined Solanke in the hospital. On the plus side, Tyler Adams made his long-awaited debut against Stoke after recovering from a hamstring injury by coming off the bench.
Kieffer Moore and Antoine Semenyo will compete to lead the home team’s attack. Neto, Max Aarons, Philip Billing, and Marcus Tavernier are all in line to make their first XI comebacks. Declan Rice (back) and Bukayo Saka (calf) both left the game before the final whistle blew. Arsenal emerged unharmed from Wednesday’s match, save for the slightest of knocks to Emile Smith Rowe. Leandro Trossard (thigh), Gabriel Martinelli (hamstring), Jurrien Timber (knee), and Thomas Partey (groin) are currently out. Jorginho and Nelson provide capable options.
In spite of sending Arteta a clear selection message at the Gtech, Ramsdale will probably hand over the starting goalkeeping duties to a rested David Raya. Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus, and Martin Odegaard are among the regular first-team players for the visitors who are expected to rejoin the squad. Arsenal hasn’t exactly blown everyone away offensively this season, but the Gunners have displayed amazing resiliency in the face of difficulty away from home, and their extensive injury list is less of a worry now that they have a deeper roster.
Bournemouth 0 – 2 Arsenal
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