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Arsenal vs Bournemouth LIVE!

It’s another massive day in a thrilling Premier League title race, with leaders Arsenal up first this lunchtime as they look to pile the pressure on rivals Manchester City. The Gunners go into the weekend sitting a point clear at the summit, which they will be very eager to stretch to four before City – who still have a potentially crucial game in hand – host Wolves at the Etihad Stadium this evening.

Mikel Arteta has named an unchanged for the third time in a row after the north London derby win at Tottenham, with no Jurrien Timber. They could be in for a tougher test against a mid-table Bournemouth team that are enjoying a brilliant first season under Andoni Iraola, who is boosted by the fitness of Antoine Semenyo but is without key defender Lloyd Kelly.

Few Gunners fans can forget this fixture from last season, when Reiss Nelson netted the most dramatic of late winners, while they also strolled to a 4-0 victory on the south coast back in September. Follow Arsenal vs Bournemouth live below, with expert analysis from Standard Sport’s Simon Collings at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal vs Bournemouth latest news

• Kick-off time: 12.30pm BST | Emirates Stadium

• How to watch: TNT Sports

• Arsenal team news: Unchanged with no Timber

• Bournemouth team news: Semenyo starts but Kelly out

• Score prediction

Arsenal 0-0 Bournemouth | 13 mins

12:44 , George Flood

Not even a booking for Christie, who is hugely fortunate to get away with that.

Saka asking questions of the fourth official as he gets back to his feet.

A relief for Arsenal as their star man is okay to continue.

Arsenal 0-0 Bournemouth | 11 mins

12:43 , George Flood

Saka shrugs off the close attention of Cook before being caught above the knee by Christie, whose foot was very high there.

Saka beats the ground in pain and frustration.

VAR will take a look at this as the England winger receives treatment.

Arsenal 0-0 Bournemouth

12:41 , George Flood

Standard Sport’s Simon Collings at the Emirates Stadium

12.30pm kick-offs can often have subdued atmospheres, but it’s lively here so far.

Story continues

Vital Arsenal start well, though, so that this place doesn’t get nervy.

Arsenal 0-0 Bournemouth | 10 mins

12:40 , George Flood

Absolutely dominant stuff from Arsenal this, as you might expect.

They are monopolising possession totally, with Trossard in behind once and denied before he is then played in from the byline by White, with his latest attempt well blocked by Senesi.

This could be a very long afternoon for Bournemouth, on this evidence.

Arsenal 0-0 Bournemouth | 7 mins

12:39 , George Flood

Bournemouth are under siege already here as Rice leads a blistering Arsenal counter-attack and plays in Saka, whose effort is blocked behind by Ouattara.

Travers gets a hand to the corner before an air shot from Trossard, who then cuts inside and has another effort blocked.

Bournemouth’s players are putting their bodies on the line with another terrific block to deny Odegaard.

Arsenal 0-0 Bournemouth | 4 mins

12:35 , George Flood

Plenty of early pressure from Arsenal, forcing the Cherries into a panicky clearance that they get away with.

The aggressive hosts have started with a really good tempo and are pressing high with real intensity.

Arsenal 0-0 Bournemouth | 2 mins

12:33 , George Flood

A lively start from both sides as Gabriel repels a Bournemouth free-kick from the left and Semenyo’s header then fails to trouble Arsenal goalkeeper Raya.

The Gunners come forward quickly in response with some intricate passing, but they can’t fashion an early chance.

Arsenal vs Bournemouth

12:32 , George Flood

Underway in north London!

Can Arsenal put the pressure on Man City by opening up a four-point gap ahead of the defending champions’ clash with Wolves later?

It’s another huge, huge game for the Gunners…

Arsenal vs Bournemouth

12:27 , George Flood

Here come the teams at a sun-kissed Emirates!

A great atmosphere already inside the ground.

12:24 , George Flood

It’s a truly glorious afternoon in north London, where Arsenal will hope the sun continues to shine on their Premier League title bid.

Kick-off on the way!

12:09 , George Flood

Standard Sport’s Simon Collings reacts to that team news from the Emirates as Mikel Arteta names an unchanged Arsenal lineup for the third game in a row…

12:09 , George Flood

Confirmation from Bournemouth that Lloyd Kelly misses this afternoon’s game through illness.

A big blow for the Cherries defensively.

Semenyo starts for Bournemouth but no Kelly

11:47 , George Flood

A huge boost for Bournemouth is Antoine Semenyo being deemed fit to start this afternoon despite the injury he suffered against Brighton last weekend.

Illia Zabarnyi returns in defence after illness, but there’s no Lloyd Kelly in the squad at all.

Bournemouth’s only other change sees Ryan Christie preferred to Enes Unal.

Romain Faivre is fit enough for the bench, as is Philip Billing.

Arsenal unchanged again with no Timber in squad

11:39 , George Flood

So Mikel Arteta opts for an unchanged team for the third game in a row after last weekend’s chaotic north London derby win at Tottenham.

Takehiro Tomiyasu holds off Oleksandr Zinchenko to keep his spot at left-back, while Thomas Partey is again preferred to Jorginho in midfield as Leandro Trossard starts again in attack ahead of Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus.

The biggest surprise is the complete absence of Jurrien Timber, who isn’t among the substitutes.

Arsenal’s bench is also unchanged.

Bournemouth lineup

11:35 , George Flood

Bournemouth team: Travers, Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Ouattara, Cook, Christie, Semenyo, Scott, Kluivert, Solanke

Subs: Neto, Faivre, Hill, Unal, Billing, Aarons, McKenna, Kinsey-Wellings, Sadi

Arsenal lineup

11:33 , George Flood

Arsenal team: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu, Odegaard, Partey, Rice, Saka, Havertz, Trossard

Subs: Ramsdale, Gabriel Jesus, Smith Rowe, Martinelli, Nketiah, Kiwior, Jorginho, Vieira, Zinchenko

Jurrien Timber update

11:18 , George Flood

Official team news is now less than 15 minutes away, but there are early whispers on social media this morning that Jurrien Timber is not involved today for Arsenal after all.

We’ll see very shortly if that’s accurate…

Arsenal to honour ‘Invincibles’ heroes during season finale

11:10 , George Flood

Some breaking news now courtesy of Standard Sport’s Simon Collings, who reports that Arsenal have invited the members of their famous 2003-04 ‘Invincibles’ squad plus former boss Arsene Wenger to attend the final game of the season against Everton at the Emirates on May 19.

The players and staff are expected to be in attendance for the game and have also been asked to a special lunch to celebrate their iconic achievements.

Read the full story here

Arteta dismisses reports over Arsenal selling Gabriel Jesus

11:01 , George Flood

One player who won’t be leaving Arsenal at the end of the season it seems is Gabriel Jesus.

The former Manchester City striker has endured a difficult second campaign at the Emirates, largely outshone by Kai Havertz in that centre-forward role.

However, Mikel Arteta said on Friday that speculation over a likely summer exit for Jesus was wide of the mark.

He insisted: “I don’t know where this is coming from.”

Arteta keen for Jorginho stay after Arsenal contract offer

10:44 , George Flood

It will be interesting to see if Jorginho earns back his place in the Arsenal midfield this afternoon, particularly with Thomas Partey having impressed with his two starts last week.

The Italian is out of contract at the end of the season, though a fresh offer has been made and the Gunners are confident that he will snub interest from the likes of Juventus, Lazio and Napoli in Serie A in order to commit his future to Arsenal.

Arteta said of Jorginho yesterday: “I would love to keep him. He knows that.

“The club is fully supportive of that. He’s a really important player with us on and off the field and he makes us better so I want him to stay.”

Arteta delighted by Timber return as competition ramps up

10:27 , George Flood

Jurrien Timber did not play for Arsenal’s U21s in their thumping 6-2 win over Manchester United on Friday night, paving the way for his return to the senior squad today.

On the confidence boost received by his return, Arteta said on Friday: “It does because it increases the quality of the training sessions.

“You see how commanding he is, his leadership and his quality, and the rest have to lift it up.

“They start to demand more from each other and they look at each other and say: ‘I better be good because I want to keep playing.’ These are very positive for the squad.”

On Timber’s potential impact after so long out, the Gunners boss added: “We’re not going to know until we throw him in. It’s tricky because it’s only three games to go and he’s missed eight months of football.

“He’s played only 50 minutes of football with the under-21s, so it’s a question that has to be resolved only by throwing him on the pitch and seeing what happens.

“We have to try to nail that decision.”

Arsenal vs Bournemouth score prediction

10:16 , George Flood

Arsenal may not have been at their very best of late but it’s difficult to see them losing at home for only the third time this season, despite Bournemouth’s impressive recent form.

Arsenal to win, 2-0.

Bournemouth team news

10:15 , George Flood

Bournemouth’s selection issues appear to be easing meanwhile, with Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo expected to be involved today after scans came back clear on a worrying-looking injury sustained during last weekend’s 3-0 win over Brighton.

Illia Zabarnyi and Philip Billing are in contention after illness, while French midfielder Romain Faivre is also fit again.

Tyler Adams, Chris Mepham, Luis Sinisterra, Marcus Tavernier and Ryan Fredericks are all still out, while Hungarian left-back Milos Kerkez remains suspended after his sending off in the recent win over Wolves.

Arsenal team news

10:10 , George Flood

Arsenal have the luxury of a fully-fit squad to choose from this afternoon as they look to keep their bid for a first Premier League title for two decades alive and kicking heading into the final stretch.

Jurrien Timber is in contention to make his first appearance since the opening day of the season, having completed his return to full fitness with the Under-21s following eight months out in the aftermath of knee surgery.

The Dutchman seems likely to be on the bench today as Mikel Arteta ponders a few other selection dilemmas, most notably who to deploy at left-back with Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior all competing for the spot.

It could yet be a position that the versatile Timber ends up filling during the final throes of this campaign.

Elsewhere, Jorginho is pushing to take Thomas Partey’s spot in midfield, while Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus are all competing for a starting role on the left wing.

Decisions, decisions!

How to watch Arsenal vs Bournemouth

10:04 , George Flood

TV channel: Today’s game will be broadcast live in the UK on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate. Coverage starts at 11.30am BST.

Live stream: Subscribers will also be able to watch on a live stream online via the Discovery+ app or website.

Arsenal vs Bournemouth live

10:03 , George Flood

Good morning and welcome to Standard Sport’s live coverage of Arsenal vs Bournemouth in the Premier League.

We’ve got another massive day in store in a captivating 2023/24 title race, with the Gunners desperate for another win this lunchtime that would put them four points clear of Manchester City before Pep Guardiola’s defending champions – who of course still boast that potentially pivotal game in hand – entertain Wolves at the Etihad Stadium later this afternoon.

But they might not have things all their own way against a mid-table Bournemouth side searching for a third straight win who have already accumulated their best-ever Premier League points tally during a memorable first campaign under the leadership of Andoni Iraola.

Kick-off today is at 12:30pm BST, so keep it here for live updates and all the latest team news.

We’ll also have expert comment and analysis from Standard Sport’s Arsenal correspondent Simon Collings from a sunny Emirates Stadium.