Arsenal face Bournemouth in their first game of the new year this evening.
Confidence in the Arsenal camp will be high following a statement performance over Aston Villa on Tuesday night and they can move seven points clear at the Premier League summit - albeit potentially for 24 hours.
FOLLOW BOURNEMOUTH VS ARSENAL LIVE!
The 4-1 victory over Villa made it four wins in a row for Mikel Arteta’s side, bouncing back from defeat at Villa Park in early December as they seek to end their long wait to be crowned champions of England.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, are now without a win in ten matches after drawing 2-2 at Chelsea and manager Andoni Iraola has been linked with the vacant post at Stamford Bridge after Enzo Maresca’s sudden exit.
Here’s everything you need to know about the game…
Date, kick-off time and venue
Bournemouth vs Arsenal is scheduled for a 5.30pm GMT kick-off today, Saturday, January 3, 2026.
The match will take place at the Vitality Stadium.
Where to watch Bournemouth vs Arsenal
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports. Coverage starts at 5pm GMT on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League ahead of kick-off at 5.30pm.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Matt Verri at the ground.
Free highlights: The Sky Sports app and YouTube channel will show highlights shortly after the final whistle with Match of the Day broadcasting on BBC One at 10.30pm GMT.
Bournemouth vs Arsenal team news
Bournemouth have will have Antoine Semenyo available for selection against the Gunners even though the winger is thought to be closing in on a move to Manchester City.
Lewis Cook is a doubt, but Ryan Christie, Ben Gannon-Doak, Tyler Adams, Matai Akinmboni and Veljko Milosavljevic will all miss out through injury.
In a surprise signing, former Tottenham goalkeeper Fraser Forster has been registered in time to be on the bench for the Cherries.
Arsenal are sweating on the fitness of Declan Rice after he sat out the win over Villa with a knee issue. With the home clash against Liverpool looming, Arteta is unlikely to take any risks.
Gabriel, a scorer on his return to action, should be fit despite being replaced in the second half on Tuesday night. Though, whether he can start two games in quick succession remains to be seen.
Gabriel Jesus is pushing for a start after scoring as a substitute against Villa, while Eberechi Eze is hoping for some minutes having been an unusued substitute in the last three Premier League matches.
Bournemouth vs Arsenal prediction
Bournemouth are in poor form at the moment, but they’ve only lost once at home in the Premier League so far this season and have conceded just six goals in nine matches.
Therefore, we expect this to be a diffcult game for Arsenal - especially considering their recent struggles on the road - where one goal could be enough for another precious three points.
Arsenal to win, 1-0.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Bournemouth did the double over Arsenal last season, including a 2-0 win in the corresponding fixture where William Saliba was sent-off in the first half.
Bournemouth wins: 3
Arsenal wins: 13
Draws: 2
Bournemouth vs Arsenal match odds
Bournemouth to win: 5/1
Arsenal to win: 4/9
Draw: 11/4
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
