ARSENAL have the bit between their teeth as they hunt a first Premier League title in two decades, and it would be a major surprise if they slipped up at home to an AFC Bournemouth side with nothing to play for.
The Gunners jumped a major hurdle last weekend with a thrilling 3-2 win at bitter rivals Tottenham, a match that many people had earmarked as a potential killer to their title hopes.
Mikel Arteta's men remain top with just three matches to play, but they know it's out of their hands, with champions Manchester City having a game in hand. So they need nine points to stand a chance of wearing the crown for the first time since that famous Invincibles season.
Bournemouth are outsiders at the Etihad but can play with freedom from the safety of mid-table and have the forwards capable of hurting Arsenal if the Gunners suffer from any title jitters.
How the bookies view it: Cherries rank outsiders
Bournemouth have been written off, with BetMGM pricing them at 14/1, while Arsenal's best price is just 1/5 with the same firm. Even the draw is pretty big at 7/1 with Bet365.
Recent head to head: History on Arsenal's side
AFC Bournemouth have only beaten Arsenal once in their entire history, a 2-1 home win in 2018. The Gunners have won 10 of the 13 meetings, including a 4-0 romp at the Vitality earlier this season.
Players to watch: Kai flyer is in the groove
Slips Tips flagged Kai Havertz as Arsenal's biggest threat in the derby and the German duly delivered by heading in the third. He scored against Bournemouth earlier in the season and is 13/10 at Bet365 to repeat the feat.
Justin Kluivert has been catching the eye for AFC Bournemouth in recent weeks and was tremendous in their 3-0 win over Brighton. The Dutchman is 3/1 to either score or assist in this one.
Probable lineups
Arteta has pretty much a full-strength squad to pick from, while opposite number Andoni Iraola is without the banned Milos Kerkez and has doubts over Illia Zabarnyi and Philip Billing.
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Jesus.
AFC Bournemouth: Travers; Smith, Outtara, Senesi, Kelly; Christie, Cook; Semenyo, Kluivert, Scott; Solanke
Anything else catch the eye? Christie at heart of battle
Arsenal managed to shut out AFC Bournemouth on the road earlier in the season and another win to nil in this game pays just 6/5 with Paddy Power. But Iraola isn't the kind of coach who parks the bus, so I'd imagine the Cherries will have a go. Unibet are offering 6/5 on Bournemouth having over 3.5 shots on target and that could be worth a punt.
Arteta's side picked up just one card in the heat of last week's derby, so I like Bournemouth -1 in the card handicap here at 11/5 with Bet365. Ryan Christie usually gets stuck in for the Cherries in the midfield and is 6/5 at Paddy Power for over 1.5 fouls.
This English Premier League match between Arsenal and AFC Bournemouth will be played on May 4, 2024 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Arsenal vs AFC Bournemouth prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
