Bournemouth vs. Arsenal Prediction: Gunners Aim to Start 2026 With Win

• Arsenal made a major statement of intent in the midweek round of fixtures 

• Bournemouth got a good result last time out but their form has generally been poor

• Who will come out on top when Bournemouth host Arsenal this weekend?

Bournemouth vs. Arsenal Odds

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My -134 Pick for Bournemouth vs. Arsenal 

Go for both teams to score. Arsenal have an excellent defensive record, but Bournemouth’s matches tend to be high-scoring.

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Arsenal Show Once Again They Are the Team to Beat 

In December, Arsenal played six Premier League games. The first was a 2-0 victory over Brentford in which the game-clinching goal only arrived in second-half stoppage time. A 2-1 loss to Aston Villa followed, before Arsenal edged out Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion, each by a single goal.

The results were mostly positive, but Arsenal never felt truly comfortable in any of those matches. That trend looked set to continue in their final encounter of 2025, as third-placed Villa visited the Emirates Stadium. The Villans were the more threatening team in the first half, countering with speed and incision after beating Arsenal’s press. Their display in the opening 45 minutes gave Mikel Arteta plenty to think about.

The Arsenal boss could have reacted by instructing his players to abandon the high press and sit a little deeper. Without the injured Declan Rice, Arsenal lacked their usual legs in midfield. Yet Arteta doubled down on his original game plan, a risky decision which was completely vindicated by his team’s second-half showing. 

Arsenal scored four times in the space of 30 minutes to put the game beyond Villa. The visitors to the Emirates converted a consolation goal late on, but by then the destination of the three points was clear. It was a tremendous performance from Arsenal, who showed why they are the favorites to win the title.

“It was amazing,” Arteta told BBC Sport. “We knew we played against a team that won 11 games in a row in a great emotional state. They are a really fabulous team. They keep you on the edge in a reaction. And in the first half in the first 10 minutes we mistimed a few things and they opened us up and they are really dangerous there. After we had some more control we came up in the second half and I thought we were outstanding.”

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Bournemouth Desperate to End Winless Streak Soon

In isolation, a 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Tuesday was a good result for Bournemouth. However, that result at Stamford Bridge extended the Cherries’s winless streak to 10 games. From second at the beginning of November, Bournemouth are now in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle in 2026.

There is no need to go overboard on the doom and gloom. Bournemouth lost some key players last summer, so perhaps a regression was to be expected. Even amid their current run, they have got some good results: two draws with Chelsea and a draw with Manchester United spring to mind.

But with star man Antoine Semenyo on his way to Manchester City, Bournemouth face a big month on and off the pitch. They will need to find a way to replace Semenyo’s creativity and output in the transfer market, while on the field they need to start putting some more wins on the board to avoid being dragged further down the table.

Andoni Iraola was keen to take the positives from his team’s display against Chelsea, but the Spaniard knows as well as anyone that Bournemouth cannot afford for this slump to continue for too much longer.

“Very proud about the performance,” Iraola said afterwards. “The reward is not massive, it’s one point. Still another kind of these games where I think you do a lot of very good things, but one point, probably we would have taken it before coming here. 

“But looking at how the game has developed, probably not fully satisfied. I think Chelsea have had the ball more than us. But I think the clearest chances have been for us. Okay, I hope we keep this performance level and I hope we receive the rewards later in the next games. But it's a point that I don't know how it tastes.”

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Arsenal Should Have Too Much for Bournemouth on Saturday

Arsenal have the best defensive record in the Premier League and they will lean heavily on their solidity in the title race. Arteta’s team do not give much away at the back, and the return to the XI of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes has only made them an even tougher side to get past.

It is not impossible to score against this Arsenal team, however. Aston Villa managed it twice in December, as did Wolves and Brighton. In fact, the Gunners have kept only two clean sheets in their last nine league encounters. We reckon that will become two in 10 on Saturday.

Arsenal are deserved favorites to win this match, but you will find better value in the ‘both teams to score’ market. Bournemouth carry a real threat in the final third, as they demonstrated against Chelsea. Despite their current difficulties, only six sides in the division have outscored them this term.

Additionally, the Cherries have failed to score in only four of their 19 Premier League games up to this point. Goals at both ends is the way to go for Bournemouth vs Arsenal this weekend.

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How to Watch Bournemouth vs. Arsenal

• Teams: Bournemouth vs Arsenal

• Location: Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, England

• Date and Time: Saturday, January 3 at 12:30 PM ET

• How to Watch: NBC