Mike Arteta-led Arsenal squad will visit Bournemouth this Saturday as attention shift towards their Premier League title challenge after it survived Brentford scare in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
The games are piling up thick and fast for Arteta and his men. Arsenal have three more games before the October international break – two in the Premier League and one in the Champions League.
Mikel Arteta will take his players to Lens to take on the French side in midweek, a few days after which they will face Premier League leaders and defending champions Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium.
Both of these fixtures will be played on Arteta’s mind earlier, but it is his job to ensure that Arsenal are fully focused on Saturday’s game against Bournemouth as they cannot afford to drop points in this kind match.
Bournemouth, despite showing some flashes under manager Andoni Iraola, are yet to pick up a win in the Premier League this season, but it will be at opponent’s peril to underrate them.
Man City are setting on the top of the league log with 18 points, having won six matches out of six so far.
Arsenal are already four points adrift of the champions in the top spot. A failure to win on Saturday could see the deficit grow to six or seven points ahead of the head-to-head clash next weekend.
This is a hugely important game for Arsenal, then, and a lack of focus could result in a slip-up.
Having said that, Arteta’s side have an excellent away record and should ultimately have too much quality for Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
They ground out a 1-0 victory over Brentford in the EFL Cup on Wednesday despite naming a weakened side.
And although Arsenal failed to beat Tottenham Hotspur last time out in the Premier League, there were positives (and a few negatives) to take from the 2-2 draw.
A win on the south coast would set Arsenal up nicely for their trip across the Channel this coming week.
Bournemouth are still without a Premier League win this season and this Saturday’s match could end in more disappointment for the home team.
