Amidst a slight injury crisis, Arsenal look to keep pace with the rest of the Premier League title challengers at the top of the table as they travel to Bournemouth for a Saturday matchup.
The Gunners have concerns over the fitness of key players Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, who are both carrying knocks from recent matches.
While they will want to protect the long-term health of two of their most important cogs, every match is critical given that defending champions Manchester City are the only remaining side with a perfect record through six games and are always a threat to pull away from the pack at any opportunity.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, have collected just three points from their first six matches, all via draws, but will be boosted by their 2-0 win over Stoke City midweek in the EFL Cup. The Cherries are looking for anything to cling to in the quest for top-flight survival, and the scalp of a title contender in front of the home fans would be just the thing to springboard the club towards that goal.
The Sporting News is following the Bournemouth vs. Arsenal match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.
Bournemouth vs Arsenal live score
| Score | Goal scorers | |
| Bournemouth | — | — |
| Arsenal | — | — |
Kickoff: 3 p.m. local BST
Location: Vitality Stadium (Bournemouth, England)
Referee: Michael Salisbury
Predicted lineups:
Bournemouth (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Neto (GK) — 37. Aarons, 27. Zabarnyi, 5. Kelly, 3. Kerkez — 4. Cook, 10. Christie — 16. Tavernier, 29. Billing, 19. Kluivert — 21. K. Moore.
Arsenal (4-3-3, right to left): 22. Raya (GK) — 4. White, 2. Saliba, 6. Gabriel, 35. Zinchenko — 8. Odegaard, 20. Jorginho, 21. Vieira — 10. Smith Rowe, 14. Nketiah, 9. G. Jesus.
Bournemouth vs Arsenal live updates, highlights, commentary
1 hour 45 mins to kick: The question this morning around Arsenal’s team selection is the fitness of Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice. Some are pushing for those two to be rested, and Mikel Arteta said he needs to “protect” his best players like Saka from themselves, but there are some early rumblings on social media that they may be available for this match. We’ll see how accurate those are.
🗣 “He’s got all the ingredients… We have to protect him”
Mikel Arteta praises Bukayo Saka’s mindset ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Bournemouth 🔴🙌 pic.twitter.com/Er95WWWVmi
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 30, 2023
2 hours to kickoff: A truly incredible streak may come to an end today depending on how the Arsenal medical staff assess Bukayo Saka prior to today’s match. The 22-year-old England star has featured in 86 consecutive Premier League matches for the Gunners, which is a club record, but an ankle injury could keep him sidelined today, halting that impressive run.
He set the record earlier this season, reaching 83 consecutive Premier League matches in the 2-2 draw with Fulham.
Bukayo Saka has played in 83 consecutive Premier League games for Arsenal, setting a new club record for the longest streak of uninterrupted appearances in the competition.
This Starboy is made of steel. pic.twitter.com/mwupTi8Ebi
— Squawka (@Squawka) August 26, 2023
Bournemouth vs Arsenal lineups & team news
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has a few issues to work around, as Chris Mepham, Alex Scott, and Lloyd Kelly are all out for a number of weeks. Ryan Fredericks is close to being available again as he nears a return to training, but won’t play a part here, while Dominik Solanke is unlikely to participate thanks to an ankle injury.
Tyler Adams finally made his Bournemouth debut in the EFL Cup midweek after recovering from a long-term hamstring injury, and he could play a starting role here if Iraola deems him to be fully fit for 90 minutes of action, although he may need a few more substitute appearances before he reaches that level.
New playmaker Emiliano Marcondes has yet to play for Bournemouth thanks to an ankle injury, and he is “not close to being part of the team” according to the boss midweek.
Bournemouth projected starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Neto (GK) — Aarons, Zabarnyi, Kelly, Kerkez — Cook, Christie — Tavernier, Billing, Kluivert — K. Moore.
Bournemouth subs (12): (Lineups released one hour prior to kickoff)
Arsenal are mired in something of an injury crisis as they get ready for this road Premier League match. Most of the injuries aren’t serious, but they have all seemed to crop up at once.
Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka are facing late fitness tests to be available for this match, while Gabriel Martinelli seems unlikely to participate due to a hamstring problem. Leandro Trossard is another whose availability will come down to the wire as he deals with a thigh injury.
Thomas Partey is out through the next ew weeks with a groin injury suffered in training, while Jurrien Timber remains sidelined for most of the year with an ACL tear.
Arsenal projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Raya (GK) — White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko — Odegaard, Jorginho, Vieira — Smith Rowe, Nketiah, G. Jesus.
Arsenal subs (12): (Lineups released one hour prior to kickoff)
How to watch Bournemouth vs Arsenal
| Date | Time | TV Channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Sat, Sep. 28 | 10 a.m. ET 7 a.m. PT |
— | Peacock |
| Canada | Sat, Sep. 28 | 10 a.m. ET 7 a.m. PT |
— | Fubo Canada |
| UK | Sat, Sep. 28 | 3 p.m. BST | — | — |
| Australia | Sun, Sep. 29 | 12 a.m. AEST | — | Optus Sport |
| Hong Kong | Sat, Sep. 28 | 10 p.m. HKT | Now Premier League 3 (Ch. 623) |
Now Player, Now E |
| India | Sat, Sep. 28 | 7:30 p.m. IST | Star Sports Select 2 | JioTV, Hotstar VIP |
| Malaysia | Sat, Sep. 28 | 10 p.m. MYT | Astro Supersport 2 | Astro Go |
| New Zealand | Sun, Sep. 29 | 2 a.m. NZST | Sky Sport 3 NZ | Sky Sport NOW |
| Singapore | Sat, Sep. 28 | 10 p.m. SST | StarHub Hub Premier 3 (Ch. 223) | Premier+ on StarHub TV+ |
