It is now officially official- the rest of the run-in is dead rubber for Arsenal. Liverpool had their Premier League title clinching party last weekend, meaning there is little (not nothing completely, as Arsenal still needs to clinch top five) on the line versus AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.
As for the Cherries themselves, they also have seen the overall meaning of their season extinguished.
Arsenal vs AFC Bournemouth FYIs
Kickoff Time: 5:30pm BST, Saturday, May 3
Location: Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Arsenal Preview Stuff: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Google Result Probability: AFC Bournemouth 28% Draw 26% Arsenal 46%
Premier League Standings: AFC Bournemouth 10th, 50 pts Arsenal 2nd, 67 pts
A couple months ago, they were looking pretty good in terms of maybe qualifying for a lesser tier UEFA competition. Then they tanked, and now they’re just destined for mid-table mediocrity.
In hopes of overturning the UCL semifinal tie with PSG next week, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will save his strongest team possible for that continental clash.
Arsenal Starting Lineup Prediction vs AFC Bournemouth
David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Kieran Tierney, Martin Odegaard, Jack Francis; Ethan Nwaneri, Mikel Merino, Raheem Sterling
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter