AFC Bournemouth head to Arsenal with both sides in strong form. The Gunners seek another win, while the Cherries boast an 11-game unbeaten run. With intriguing head-to-head trends, standout attacking metrics, and key players in form, the stats point to a fascinating clash at the Emirates.
As AFC Bournemouth prepare to travel to the Emirates this weekend to face Arsenal, the stakes are high - particularly for the hosts, with many Gunners supporters viewing the clash as a "must-win".
Buoyed by a midweek European victory over Sporting, Arsenal appear to have regained some momentum after their recent FA Cup setback against Southampton, but ahead of the meeting with the Cherries, we take a closer look at the key stats shaping both sides’ prospects.
Head to Head
Having won each of their first eight home games against Bournemouth in all competitions, Arsenal lost this exact league fixture 2-1 last season.
Bournemouth have won two of their last three league games against Arsenal, more than they had in their previous 14 (W1 D2 L11).
Match Sequences
Bournemouth’s 11-game unbeaten run (W4 D7) is their joint-longest in the Premier League, along with a run which occurred between November 2024 and January 2025 (W7 D4).
The Cherries could become the first side in the competition to record six successive draws since Manchester City in November 2009 (7).
Arsenal have won each of their last four Premier League games and are looking to win five in a row for the third time this season (the first time it happened was between September 28th and November 1st, and then again between December 13th and January 3rd). It would be only the third Premier League season in which the Gunners have had three separate runs of 5+ successive wins, after 2013-14 and 2022-23.
It also would be the sixth run of 5+ wins by a side this season, with no other team recording more than one (Aston Villa, Liverpool and Man City all one).
The Attacking Stats
In Bournemouth (65, 5 goals) and Arsenal (64, 6 goals), these two sides have recorded the most direct attacks in the Premier League this season, with the Cherries’ seven against Manchester United last time out the joint-most in a Premier League game in 2025-26.
Arsenal this season average 0.71 expected goals against per game in the Premier League (22.1 xGA in 31 games), the lowest by any side in a season in the division since Manchester City in 2021-22 (0.65 per game).
Players to look out for
REUTERS/Pedro NunesArsenal’s Declan Rice has both scored (5) and been involved in (7) more Premier League goals against Bournemouth than any other opponent, with all seven of these involvements coming in his last eight appearances against the Cherries.
Bournemouth’s Adrien Truffert has recorded 74 overlapping runs in the Premier League this season, 36 more than anyone else, while among defenders this term he ranks joint-third for assists from open play (3) and fourth for expected assists from open play (2.4).
Bournemouth’s Junior Kroupi netted his ninth Premier League goal of the season last time out against Manchester United; the last teenager to score 10+ goals in his first season in the competition was Robbie Keane for Coventry City in 1999-00 (12).