Bournemouth vs Arsenal Prediction: Havertz can hurt the Cherries again

AFC Bournemouth welcome Arsenal to the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday (17:30, Sky Sports Main Event), looking to bounce back from their defeat to Leicester City last time out.

The Gunners are unbeaten in the top-flight and they have won three of their last five outings. They will be hoping to return to the summit on Saturday as they currently find themselves one point behind Liverpool. Read on for my Bournemouth vs Arsenal prediction, accompanied by the latest match odds and team news.

Bournemouth vs Arsenal Odds

Bournemouth are 18/5 to win this match, giving them an implied probability of 21.7%. Arsenal are priced at 4/6 to take the three points, which gives them a theoretical chance of 60%. The draw is on offer at 11/4 (26.7%).

Over 2.5 goals is available at 4/6 and both teams to score can be backed at the same odds.

Arsenal's Kai Havertz has scored four times in the Premier League this season and he is valued at 11/2 to open the scoring on Saturday, or 7/4 to score anytime.

His teammate Leandro Trossard has two for himself and he is marketed at 21/10 to find the back of the net at any point during this contest.

Football Odds

Team News

Bournemouth look to still be without the services of midfielder Tyler Adams, who is still sidelined by injury.

For Arsenal, boss Mikel Arteta could hand midfielder Mikel Merino his full Premier League debut on the south coast after the Spaniard made a second-half cameo in the victory over Southampton before the international break.

The Gunners' boss will be sweating over the fitness of two of his attackers ahead of this clash. Bukayo Saka picked up a hamstring issue while on England duty and he returned to Arsenal before the Three Lions' win over Finland.

Gabriel Martinelli also picked up a knock while playing for Brazil and so he will be monitored closely. Havertz pulled out from the Germany squad due to a knee issue, but he is expected to be fit in time for the trip to face the Cherries.

Captain Martin Odegaard remains sidelined with an ankle injury, while Kieran Tierney is also in the medical room. Ben White and Jurrien Timber should be okay to make the squad on Saturday, while there is also a chance Oleksandr Zinchenko and Thomas Partey could be involved.

Arsenal and over 2.5 goals @ 6/4

In this exact fixture last season, Arsenal ran out as 4-0 winners in what a completely dominant display. Havertz was on the scoresheet from the penalty spot to open his account for the club that day, while the other goals came from Saka, Odegaard (P) and White.

Of course we have seen a lot of improvement from Bournemouth since as Andoni Iraola has had more time to stamp his ideas on the team, but this doesn't take away the fact that they still find consistency an issue, and they are facing one of the best teams in the division in Arsenal.

The Gunners are unbeaten in the Premier League this season and they are having no issues with their own consistency. They are looking sharp and they will only continue to get better as the season goes on as they aim to trump Manchester City to the title.

To a degree they are missing the presence of Odegaard in midfield but it just highlights how well they are coping without him. I believe the Gunners will return with a bang after the international break with a win against Bournemouth, and I have boosted the odds by adding over 2.5 goals.

Arsenal fired four past the hosts last year, so we could be about to witness them produce another proficient display in front of goal. They have seen at least three goals scored in three of their seven fixtures in the top-flight so far, but only one of them has come away from home and that was against Man City last month.

They are looking to translate their free-scoring form at home onto their trips on the road and coming up against a team that often blows hot and cold, this feels like a good chance for them to start racking up more goals on their travels.

Kai Havertz anytime goalscorer @ 7/4

Havertz's goal in this game last year is arguably a huge moment in his Arsenal career as it gave him some much-needed confidence. He hadn't scored in his first six appearances so you have to give credit to his teammates for letting him take a spot-kick to get himself up and running. He finished the season with 13 goals in the league alone.

The Germany international has started this term well and he already has four to his name in seven matches, so he is on course to smash last season's figure. With him returning to the place where he scored his first goal for the club, I think he will be itching to score so that he can make it a happy hunting ground for himself.

In four career Premier League appearances against the Cherries, he has scored twice - with the other coming for Chelsea. They are an opponent he is familiar scoring against, and with the level his game is at now, we are expecting him to score on a much more frequent basis than when he was playing for his former employers.

I believe he is worth backing to add to his tally on Saturday and I think 7/4 offers good value for that to happen.

Offers

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