Arsenal FC are now back in the top four now having leapfrogged Manchester United on Sunday. The Gunners win over Southampton, plus United’s draw with Liverpool pushed the north London side ahead of the Red Devils by one point. With Chelsea having some obvious serious issues right now, it appears the race for the final UCL qualification slot might end up being a two, not three horse race.
As for AFC Bournemouth, they are currently ninth in the table despite a winless February. They will head to the Emirates having lost eight in a row on the road, with their last triumph away from the south coast having come way back in October.
In looking at the fitness situation for this match, Arsenal seemingly have a triple injury boost with defenders Stephan Lichsteiner and Ainsley Maitland-Niles returning from a back injury and illness respectively. The former came off injured in the second half of the win over Saints while the latter missed the game entirely.
Additionally, forward Alex Iwobi, who suffered a knock in the match on Sunday, is expected to be fit in time for this one. Hector Bellerin and Danny Welbeck remain out long term.
Switching over to the visitors, star striker Callum Wilson and David Brooks will most likely not feature in this one.
Also, Junior Stanislas faces a late fitness test after having suffered a thigh injury in training earlier this month. Simon Francis and Lewis Cook are long term absentees who have been ruled out for the rest of the season.
Like many teams at this stage of the season, they are really feeling the cumulative effects of several injuries to key players.
AFC Bournemouth at Arsenal FC FYIs
Kickoff: Wednesday, February 27, 7:45 PM local, Emirates Stadium
Google Result Probability: Arsenal win 67%, Draw 28%, Bournemouth win 13%
Arsenal FC Starting XI Prediction: go to this link
Odds via Odds Checker: Arsenal 5/11, Draw 75/19, Bournemouth 7/1
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.