Arsenal will hope to jump-start their season when they welcome Bournemouth to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
The Gunners were left to stew over back-to-back defeats during the international break and they will be determined to come back with a vengeance, particularly after losing 4-0 to Liverpool in their last outing.
Arsene Wenger's side have picked up just three points from their opening three Premier League matches and they come up against a Cherries outfit who have lost all three league games thus far. Nevertheless, Arsenal will have to be wary of Eddie Howe's men, who were unlucky not to get anything from their last game at home to Manchester City.
| Game | Arsenal vs Bournemouth |
| Date | Saturday, September 9 |
| Time | 15:00 BST / 10:00 ET |
TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM
Getty Images
In the UK, the match will not be broadcast live on television or online, but highlights will be available on BBC's 'Match of the Day' programme, as well as the Arsenal Player.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BBC (highlights only) | Arsenal Player (highights only) |
However, in the US, the match will be available to watch live on television on NBCSN and by online stream using the NBC Sports App.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| NBCSN | NBC Sports App |
SQUADS & TEAM NEWS
| Position | Arsenal players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ospina, Cech, Iliev |
| Defenders | Debuchy, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Holding, Monreal, Mustafi, Chambers, Bellerin, Kolasinac |
| Midfielders | Ramsey, WIlshere, Ozil, Cazorla, Rein-Adelaide, Xhaka, Maitland-Niles, Coquelin, Elneny |
| Forwards | Sanchez, Lacazette, Giroud, Walcott, Iwobi, Welbeck, Akpom |
The Gunners will run the rule over a number of players following their national team exploits, including Alexis Sanchez, David Ospina and Aaron Ramsey, but Wenger is positive they will be fit.
Long-term absentee Santi Cazorla has resumed training, but the Spaniard is still deemed to be a number of weeks away from full fitness. Others such as Calum Chambers, Jack Wilshere and Alex Iwobi are expected to be available.
Potential starting XI: Cech; Holding, Koscielny, Monreal; Bellerin, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Elneny; Sanchez, Ozil, Lacazette.
| Position | Bournemouth players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Boruc, Ramsdale, Begovic |
| Defenders | Francis, S. Cook, Ake, Daniels, A. Smith, B. Smith, Mings, Wiggins |
| Midfielders | Gosling, Surman, Pugh, Arter, L. Cook, Stanislas, Hyndman, Mahoney, Fraser, Ibe |
| Forwards | Afobe, Wilson, King, Defoe, Mousset |
Simon Francis has recovered from a hamstring problem and has been declared fit to play. The Cherries will continue to monitor their players who were on international duty, but the early signs have indicated a clean bill of health.
Callum Wilson remains out of contention, however, while Nathan Ake and Junior Stanislas are considered doubts, so may not be risked.
Potential starting XI: Begovic; Daniels, Francis, S. Cook, A. Smith, Mings; Arter, Surman, Gosling; Defoe, King.
BETTING & MATCH ODDS
IAN KINGTON
Arsenal are 4/11 favourites according to dabblebet, with Bournemouth priced at 7/1 to beat the Gunners. If you think that a draw is likely to occur at the Emirates, you can get odds of 17/4.
Alexandre Lacazette is 12/5 to score first, with Alexis Sanchez slightly behind at 14/5, while Bournemouth's Josh King and Jermain Defoe are both 8/1 to open the scoring.
GAME PREVIEW
Michael Regan
Arsenal return to action following the international break with a point to prove and they have a busy month ahead as they get their Europa League as well as League Cup campaigns under way.
The game against Bournemouth is followed by meetings with Koln and Chelsea, so Wenger will be keen for his team to gather some momentum in order to banish memories of their disappointing start to the 2017-18 campaign.
However, a cloud of uncertainty still looms over the club following unsatisfactory dealings during the transfer window. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was sold to Liverpool, but the Gunners failed to land Thomas Lemar from Monaco as Alexis Sanchez's proposed move to Manchester City fell through.
Victory over the Cherries will by no means ameliorate the aforementioned struggles, but it will be a welcome start as Wenger attempts to restore stability to his floundering team.
