AFC Bournemouth vs. Arsenal  8/20/22 EPL Soccer Picks, Predictions, Odds

AFC Bournemouth and Arsenal face off on Saturday in an English Premier League showdown at Dean Court. When these two teams faced off last in January of 2020 it was Arsenal that secured the 2-1 victory. 

AFC Bournemouth’s two games have been the complete opposite of each other. In the first game of the season against Aston Villa, AFC Bournemouth scored two goals and that was enough to secure the victory. AFC Bournemouth had 34 percent of the possession but they did the most of it to secure the victory. In the last game against Manchester City, the defense really had no answer for Manchester City’s offense and that led to the 4-0 defeat. Bournemouth was outshot 7-1, and it was clear they just weren’t on the same level as City. Dominic Solanke is still dealing with a foot injury and it sounds like it will be a late call if he will be able to go in this game.

On the other side of this matchup is Arsenal who have dreams of winning another Premier League title, and if the first two games are any indication, they have a shot to do it. In the first game of the season against Crystal Palace, Arsenal scored two goals, and that secured the shutout victory. In the second game against Leicester City, Arsenal’s offense again had a big game scoring four goals and that led to the two-goal victory. Gabriel Jesus is going to be the x-factor for this team all season long, and in the last game, he scored two goals. Reiss Nelson is dealing with a hamstring injury and won’t be available to go in this game. 

Arsenal has been so impressive to start the season and it’s not going to be any different in this game. Arsenal’s offense is clearly the strength of this team and they are going to run up the score again in this game. Look for Arsenal to score at least three goals here again, and the Bournemouth offense will have no answer, much like they didn’t against Manchester City. Back Arsenal -1.5 to cash.