Something of an unwelcome distraction amid their Champions League semi-final fight, Arsenal play host to Bournemouth on Saturday evening in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta's men could virtually guarantee a top-five finish with a win if other results go their way, while the Cherries have not yet given up hope of their own continental campaign.
Match preview
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Still not mathematically assured of a place among the Champions League elite for the 2025-26 season, stalemate specialists Arsenal cannot afford to take their foot off the accelerator for a split second this weekend, even if European matters undoubtedly take priority at this moment.
The Gunners played out their 13th top-flight draw of the campaign when Crystal Palace came to visit last week; only Everton (14) have been involved in more Premier League stalemates this term, and nine of those one-pointers have come when Arsenal have been leading.
No side in the division has played out more draws in such situations than Arteta's side, who were nearly on the other end of that circumstance in Tuesday's Champions League blockbuster with Paris Saint-Germain, only for Mikel Merino's leveller to be ruled out for offside as Ousmane Dembele had the last laugh.
All roads now lead to Paris for Arsenal as they seek an unlikely comeback at the Parc des Princes next Wednesday, but as the odds are stacked against them in Europe, victory on Saturday is of paramount importance lest they risk their top-five rivals closing the gap to second even further.
The aforementioned four-goal thriller with Palace at least extended Arsenal's unbeaten sequence in the top flight to a respectable eight matches, and the hosts have strung together an 18-match Premier League streak without defeat against top-half teams, although eight of those contests have ended level.
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Speaking of teams breaking the deadlock and subsequently dropping two points in painful circumstances, that exact fate befell Bournemouth when Manchester United paid a visit to the Vitality Stadium last Sunday, where Antoine Semenyo's venomous drive beat Andre Onana all ends up.
However, in what is now proven to be another case of the VAR getting unnecessarily involved in the decision-making process, Bournemouth's Evanilson was initially booked for a challenge on Noussair Mazraoui, only for Peter Bankes to overturn his original yellow-card call.
Andoni Iraola's 10 men were mere moments away from holding out, until Rasmus Hojlund popped up with a last-gasp leveller in the sixth minute of second-half injury time, forcing Bournemouth to share the points for the third time in four Premier League games.
The Cherries' successful appeal against Evanilson's dismissal was little consolation, although with a one-point deficit to eighth-placed Fulham and seven-point gap to make up to seventh-placed Aston Villa, the European dream could still become a reality for the 10th-placed visitors.
One win from eight games in all tournaments is hardly continent-worthy form, though, and Bournemouth now travel to an opponent who have a 100% success rate in this particular fixture; Arsenal have won each of their previous eight home matches against the Cherries in all tournaments.
Team News
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While on-loan Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto has been added to Arsenal's absentee list for Saturday's game - where he is ineligible to face his parent team - it is otherwise as you were for the North London giants.
Kai Havertz (hamstring), Jorginho (chest), Gabriel Jesus (ACL), Gabriel Magalhaes (hamstring) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) remain out for the long-term, while the knee injury that Riccardo Calafiori sustained in the last international break is taking longer than expected to heal.
With three full days to rest both after the first leg and before the second leg with PSG, Arteta should not shuffle his pack too much, although Ben White, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ethan Nwaneri and Thomas Partey - back from a European ban - are prime candidates to come into the XI.
Both Arsenal and Bournemouth could have been working without a recognised striker this Saturday had Evanilson's ban been upheld, but the Brazilian is eligible for selection at the Emirates after an independent panel overturned his red-card decision.
As a result, Iraola ought to have an identical squad at his disposal too, one that may even be boosted by Luis Sinisterra's return from a hamstring problem, but Enes Unal (knee) and Ryan Christie (groin) are out for the season.
Long-serving midfielder Lewis Cook has been restricted to substitute cameos in Bournemouth's last two games as he manages a small ankle issue, but having come through those appearances unscathed, the 28-year-old could now be given the green light to step in for Alex Scott in the middle.
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; White, Saliba, Kiwior, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Nwaneri, Merino, Trossard
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Adams, Cook; Semenyo, Kluivert, Ouattara; Evanilson
We say: Arsenal 1-1 Bournemouth
With ample time to rest in between both battles with PSG, Arsenal's team should have a near full-strength feel to it this weekend, but they will no doubt be pre-occupied with Parisian thoughts and have struggled to cling onto leads all season long.
As Bournemouth are no pushovers and have lost just four Premier League games on the road all season long, the Cherries should be good enough for a point against their distracted hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
