Opportunity knocks as Bournemouth visit

Morning all.

Given how soon kick-off is, this is a very quick preview blog for our game against Bournemouth this afternoon. Mikel Arteta was playing his cards very close to his chest in terms of player availability. There were doubts over Martin Odegaard, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Bukayo Saka, none of whom were seen in open training the other day, but at his press conference, the manager said, “There have been changes since yesterday.”

One of those is the appearance of Piero Hincapie in some of the training pics, so we assume he’s available, as well as the fact that Eberechi Eze is available again after his injury absence. If the captain doesn’t make it, and I have a doubt over that given he went off with a knee problem on Tuesday, you’d imagine Eze will be the man to fill that gap in midfield. It presents a different dynamic as those two play that role in quite distinct ways, and given Bournemouth’s high press, you’d imagine it’d be Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi dropping deeper to help us bypass that.

Further forward, I think Gabriel Martinelli probably played his way into a start after his contribution against Sporting in midweek. Leandro Trossard still looks some way off his best, and while the Brazilian’s contributions in Europe have far outweighed what he has produced in the Premier League, I suspect he’ll get the nod. On the right, we wait on Bukayo Saka’s fitness who, if available, I’m sure will start.

If not, I don’t think Noni Madueke did quite enough against Sporting for Arteta not to consider the possibility of starting Max Dowman. My suspicion though is that he would see the 16 year old as a better wildcard option if he needs to change something later in the game. As for the striker, it’s a bit of a toss up between Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz. The latter got a big goal the other night, albeit from nominally a midfield position, and I wonder if that might be something the manager might lean into. Suffice to say, he has options today, he just needs to find the right mix.

Beyond the team selection though, this feels like a massive, pivotal day in what remains of this title race. If we win, we go 12 points clear at the top, although Man City would have two games in hand, starting with their trip to Chelsea tomorrow. I still don’t think you can underestimate how much that gap would have a psychological impact, and it would really apply some pressure to them before kick-off tomorrow.

It feels like a huge moment, especially for a team which has finished second three years in a row, and who are so desperate to prove they’re good enough to be winners. Win this one, and you demonstrate your title credentials to everyone. I don’t want to consider the alternative, but I’ll just say that I expect this to be tough. Bournemouth are a good side who don’t roll over for anyone, so we’re going to have to earn this.

That opportunity is obviously something they’ve spoken about internally, with Arteta saying:

The closer we get, the relevance and importance of the match increases obviously, and tomorrow is a big day for us. The players know it, our supporters know it. It’s an early kick-off, so get up early, have an early breakfast, bring your lunch, bring your dinner, and let’s go all together for it because it has to be a big day.

I have no doubt the stadium will be rocking, and hopefully it’s one of those we can produce a performance commensurate with the occasion. Regardless, I’ll take a win and three points however they come, then we can hand it over to City to see what they can do against Chelsea. With opportunity comes pressure, of course, but let’s hope today is all about making the most of the former, and leaving the latter to one side for someone else to deal with.

As ever, you can join us for live blog coverage and all the post-match stuff on Arseblog News. Depending on where you are in the world, you might even be able to sneak in the preview podcast on Patreon before kick off.

COME ON YOU REDS!