Relegation-threatened Bournemouth face another tricky test on Saturday as they head to the Emirates Stadium to take on Premier League leaders Arsenal in north London.
The Cherries have won just one of their last five Premier League games, edging past Wolves 1-0, and most recently conceded four against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last weekend.
With the worst defensive record in the top flight, they now travel to the potential champions in waiting, and face an uphill task to avoid a repeat of the 5-0 defeat that they suffered at the hands of the Gunners in the reverse fixture.
We take a look at how we expect the Cherries to line up, and the latest team news from the south coast side, below.
📰 Table Of Contents
Predicted XI
Team News
Gary O’Neill faces a lengthy injury list on the south coast, with defensive duo Lloyd Kelly and Lewis Cook both still sidelined through injuries picked up at the end of January.
Star man Marcus Tavernier is unlikely to play any part in the tie after picking up a hamstring injury last week, while January signing Mathias Vina is yet to recover from a knee injury and will also be unavailable.
Meanwhile, Junior Stanislas is being monitored and O’Neil has admitted that he would be ‘surprised’ if Illia Zabarnyi were to play any part in the trip to the Emirates, though he has not yet been ruled out of the clash.
It means that O’Neil will have more or less the same squad available as that which he took to the Etihad last weekend.
