The reverse fixture at the Vitality Stadium back in January was an entertaining contest that finished 3-2 to Arsenal. Evanilson gave Bournemouth the lead after just 10 minutes, before Gabriel levelled the scores shortly after. This selection landed soon after the second half started, as Declan Rice scored his first goal of the game.

Bournemouth have seen a total of 94 goals in their 31 Premier League matches this season - their average of 3.03 goals per game is one of the highest in the division, highlighting how their games tend to be quite open with chances available at both ends of the field. 

Arsenal boast the best defensive record in the league, but Bournemouth have the quality to cause problems against the top sides, and will hope to contribute to the scorecard. However, their main challenge will be keeping the Gunners at bay, as they have scored multiple goals in their last five matches at the Emirates.

Bournemouth should have a significant amount of defensive work to do here against an Arsenal side who will expect to dominate proceedings at the Emirates. Iraola's side usually press with intensity regardless of their opponent, as opposed to sitting back and inviting pressure. Because of that, they rank third in the league for total fouls committed, which has translated to the fourth-most yellow cards. 

Bournemouth picked up three cards in the reverse fixture at the Vitality Stadium, while Evanilson and Dango Ouattara were booked when the Cherries last made the trip to the Emirates. 

There were zero cards shown by a lenient Andy Madley in Arsenal’s last Premier League home game against Everton, but the Gunners are still averaging 1.93 cards drawn per game this term in the league. That figure rises marginally to 2.07 when playing at home, where this selection has landed in seven of their last ten.

Rice produced one of his finest individual performances of the season in the reverse fixture at the Vitality, scoring a brace to inspire Arsenal's comeback. Rice has now scored five goals in 12 Premier League appearances against Bournemouth - he tends to perform well against the Cherries, and he should be looking forward to this matchup once again. 

Rice is averaging 1.08 shots per 90 across all competitions this season, rising notably to 1.39 when playing at the Emirates. Arsenal are better at keeping possession and sustaining pressure on home turf, which means Rice is able to get further up the field more often.

The 27-year-old is a threat from set-pieces, and he also tends to shoot from range. With Martin Zubimendi usually sitting deeper, Rice has the freedom to push forward into advanced areas, and he will hope to maintain his stellar record against Bournemouth.

Lewis Cook, Ryan Christie, and Tyler Adams have all been hindered by injuries for Bournemouth this season, but Iraola has been consistently able to call upon Alex Scott, and the 22-year-old has delivered.

He has featured in all 31 league games for Bournemouth this season, starting 28 of those, and has played the fourth-most minutes in the Cherries squad. 

Scott also ranks fourth for total fouls drawn out of all players in the Premier League this season, highlighting how he is adept at drawing contact in midfield. He is averaging 2.01 fouls drawn per 90 in the league this season, rising to 2.24 when playing away, and he has landed this selection in each of his last five starts on the road.

This bet also landed in the reverse fixture against the Gunners, as Scott was fouled twice in that match. 

Kai Havertz recorded a goal and an assist against Kairat Almaty at the end of January, which was his first game back after a lengthy injury lay-off.

He also scored the decisive goal against Sporting midweek, after providing the assist for Viktor Gyokores to score Arsenal’s only goal of the game against Southampton. Havertz hasn’t taken much time to get back to match fitness, and the German international has been especially sharp in recent weeks. He bagged 15 goals and four assists in 36 appearances last season, highlighting the threat he can pose going forward. 

Despite being unbeaten in 11 matches, Bournemouth's defensive record when playing away has been underwhelming this season, with 31 goals conceded from 15 matches. For context, only Burnley have conceded more on their travels, highlighting how this is a good matchup for Arsenal going forward, and Havertz will hope to take advantage of that. 

After going 3-1 down in the reverse fixture at the Vitality Stadium, Eli Kroupi pulled one back for the hosts in the 76th minute to set up a nervy finish. However, Bournemouth were unable to find the equalising goal, and they were unfortunate to leave the south coast empty-handed. The Cherries gave an excellent account of themselves, as they recorded 15 shots worth 1.43 xG. 

Marcus Tavernier accounted for four of those efforts, even though he played in a deeper role with Bournemouth missing key midfield players. He was a constant threat throughout and even managed two shots from inside the box. Tavernier is averaging 2.44 shots per 90 across all competitions this season, and he racked up 15 shots in four matches leading up to the international break.

Even in games where Bournemouth are under pressure and sitting deep, Tavernier tends to pop up in promising positions, and he also managed two shots at the Etihad earlier in the season. 

Bukayo Saka was nowhere to be seen in Arsenal’s midweek matchday squad in the Champions League, and he is unlikely to feature this weekend. While that is positive news for Adrien Truffert, he isn’t completely off the hook, as his primary matchup will be Noni Madueke here.

He might not be as prolific as Saka in the final third, but Madueke can still carry a significant threat on his day, and he was fouled three times against Sporting midweek. The former Chelsea man is very direct in his play and is averaging 1.5 fouls drawn per 90 this season across all competitions. 

Truffert has only picked up three yellow cards in his 32 Premier League appearances this season, which isn’t a great record, but the Frenchman is averaging 1.08 fouls per 90 in the league, which shows how he likes to engage in duels rather than back off.