How will the league leaders start the new year?
Arsenal starts 2026 with an away game at Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth. The Gunners are still in outstanding form and won 4-1 against third-placed Aston Villa from Birmingham last matchday. This means they have six wins in a row across all competitions and are, of course, at the top of the Premier League table. Recently, however, there have been fewer clean sheets compared to the start of the season – they have kept a clean sheet in only two of their last nine league games. We are therefore betting on “both teams to score” in Bournemouth vs. Arsenal.
Bournemouth goes into this game on a clearly negative run. The team has been waiting for a win for ten Premier League games now (five draws, five defeats) – the Cherries have never had a longer winless streak in a single top-flight season. Despite this dry spell, Bournemouth is much more stable at home than it was at the beginning of last year. After four consecutive home defeats between February and April last season, Bournemouth has lost only two of its last 13 home games (six wins, five draws) and has lost only once at home so far this season, 0-1 to Everton in December.
Another encouraging factor is the direct comparison with Arsenal from last season, when Bournemouth surprisingly won both league games. However, the team has historically struggled against the league leaders, losing twelve of their 13 Premier League games against teams that started the matchday at the top of the table. Offensively, much of the hope rests on Antoine Semenyo, who is the most dangerous scorer with nine goals and three assists.
Arsenal are in strong form and travel to the south coast with a lot of confidence. They have lost only one of their last 16 Premier League games (12 wins, three draws), most recently winning four games in a row since their 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa. The Gunners also traditionally enjoy a good start to the new calendar year: they have lost only one of their last ten opening league games, most recently on New Year’s Day 2022 against Manchester City.
We are therefore betting on the Bournemouth vs. Arsenal odds of 1.53 for Arteta’s team’s next win at Betano.
A direct comparison with Bournemouth clearly favors Arsenal, who have only ended one of their 16 Premier League matches without scoring. However, this was exactly the case in the 2-0 defeat in Bournemouth last season, which should serve as a warning sign. Leandro Trossard is currently the most impressive player in attack, with four assists and five goals making him one of Arsenal’s most productive players in the league, and he both scored and provided an assist in the recent game against Aston Villa.
Bournemouth – Arsenal Head-to-head record
In a direct comparison, the overall record clearly favors Arsenal. In a total of 17 competitive games – 16 in the Premier League and one in the FA Cup – the Gunners have won twelve times, while Bournemouth have recorded only three wins and two draws. The goal difference also clearly underlines Arsenal’s dominance: 39:16 goals speak for themselves.
Bournemouth – Arsenal Tip
Arsenal are clear favorites going into this match against Bournemouth – the Cherries are winless in ten league games, but have won their last two encounters with the Gunners. Bournemouth have lost only one of their nine league games at home, but they are also winless in their last four games here.
Arsenal, on the other hand, have won their last six competitive games in a row – but have won only one of their last four league games away from home. In their last nine league games, they have only kept two clean sheets, after conceding in only three of their first ten league games. Nevertheless, the betting odds clearly favor the Londoners in the Bournemouth vs. Arsenal game.
