A defining weekend in the Premier League title race, potentially, is upon us as Arsenal take on Bournemouth in today's early kick-off.
The Gunners, as things stand, are nine points clear at the top of table and have the chance to stretch that lead to 12 before Manchester City face Chelsea tomorrow afternoon.
With the top two set to meet at the Etihad Stadium next weekend, this is a must-win fixture for Mikel Arteta's side as they bid to prove they can cope under pressure.
Eberechi Eze has handed Arsenal a surprise fitness boost by returning earlier than expected from injury, but it remains to be seen if Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber, Martin Odegaard and Piero Hincapie will feature.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, are the division's draw specialists with six of their last seven matches ending in a stalemate.
The Cherries are unbeaten in the league since losing the reverse fixture back in January and won here in the corresponding fixture last season.
Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Matt Verri at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal vs Bournemouth latest news
Mikel Arteta revals the Arsenal star that has been missed 'so much'
Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal have missed Martin Odegaard "so much" during his injury-hit season, insisting they are a much better side when he is starting.
The Arsenal captain has started only 13 Premier League matches this season, and just three of the Gunners' 11 fixtures in the Champions League.
A shoulder issue hampered Odegaard earlier in the campaign, while it has been a knee injury in more recent months that has proved a problem.
Odegaard returned after six weeks out to start away at Southampton last weekend, but he was then forced off in the second half against Sporting in midweek.
The 27-year-old did not train on Thursday and is a doubt to face Bournemouth on Saturday as a result, and Arteta emphasised how big a miss it would be if Odegaard did miss out again.
If Mikel Arteta is to freshen up his side, Cristhian Mosquera is an option to come in at right-back to help manage Ben White's workload.
Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli were both brilliant off the bench against Sporting and combined to score the winner in stoppage time.
The pair looked sharp and could each come into the starting lineup here.
That appears particularly likely on the left wing, with Leandro Trossard yet to score a goal in any competition in 2026.
Predicted Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Raya; Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke, Havertz, Martinelli; Gyokeres.
Arsenal must embody fighting spirit in crucial fixture
Mikel Arteta wants the Arsenal fans to be loud, engaged and, seemingly, starving.
Whether Arteta even knows who John Sitton is remains uncertain, but the Spaniard channeled the former Leyton Orient manager's message.
Sitton, in that infamous half-time team talk, was telling his players to grab anything they could get their hands on, including their dinner, as he threatened to fight them.
Put in that context, Arteta's rallying cry on the same theme was tame by comparison.
The Gunners host Bournemouth in the lunchtime kick-off on Saturday.
Victory would take them 12 points clear of Manchester City for at least 24 hours.
Read Matt Verri’s Arsenal vs Bournemouth preview right here!
Arsenal vs Bournemouth latest match odds
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Bournemouth did the double over Arsenal last season, coming from behind at the Emirates Stadium just under a year ago to seal a famous victory.
Arsenal will need to be at their clinical best against the Cherries, who are stalemate specialists after a remarkable five draws in a row in the Premier League - including three goalless draws.
It will be interesting to see how much Mikel Arteta rotates against a Bournemouth side who are capable of beating any team on their day.
One eye will surely be on the visit of Sporting in the Champions League next Wednesday, but the Gunners head coach will not want to jeopardise the title chances in any way.
Expect a strong Arsenal team as they look to put the game to bed before Arteta takes off more senior stars.
But Arsenal are not a team blessed with the creativity required to rack up a big score.
Bournemouth have Eli Junior Kroupi and Alex Jimenez fit for the trip to the Emirates after they sustained knocks during the international break.
Tyler Adams, Ben Gannon-Doak and Julio Soler have all trained after recent injuries and pushing to be in contention.
However, Justin Kluivert and Lewis Cook remain sidelined for the Cherries.
Eberechi Eze is back in contention after returning to training this week earlier than expected following a calf issue that has seen him miss the last three matches and withdraw from England duty.
While Eze trained on Thursday, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori were all absent, along with Piero Hincapie and Mikel Merino.
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports.
Coverage starts at 11am BST on TNT Sports 1.
Live coverage : You can follow all the action right here via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Matt Verri at the ground.
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Source: This article was originally published by Evening Standard
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