Two friends are pitted as foes this Saturday evening as Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth take on an Arsenal side led by his former childhood teammate Mikel Arteta.
The products of the Basque footballing hotbed that is Berio in San Sebastián played together throughout their school days. And while Arteta’s future as a manager was obvious, Iraola’s turn in the spotlight was far from pre-ordained. “Mikel was the kid that people came and said: ‘Who is that?!’” their former teammate Jon Ayerbe told The Guardian years later. “Andoni maybe didn’t stand out but he was elegant.”
They have both caught the eye from the Premier League dugouts in recent years but, just like on those bumpy pitches back in Spain, it is Arteta whose stock is riding higher at the moment. Yet, if there is anyone who would never write off Iraola, it’s his former teammate.
“We know how good of a team they are, how they can threaten you from every angle, so we know the difficulty of the game tomorrow,” he warned. Bournemouth’s woeful form and lowly 15th-placed position in the table suggests that respect may not be quite so warranted.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the clash.
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Bournemouth vs. Arsenal Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (All Competitions)
|
Bournemouth |
Arsenal |
|---|---|
|
Chelsea 2–2 Bournemouth – 30/12/25 |
Arsenal 4–1 Aston Villa – 30/12/25 |
|
Brentford 4–1 Bournemouth – 27/12/25 |
Arsenal 2–1 Brighton – 27/12/25 |
|
Bournemouth 1–1 Burnley – 20/12/25 |
Arsenal 1–1 (8–7 pens) Crystal Palace – 23/12/25 |
|
Man Utd 4–4 Bournemouth – 15/12/25 |
Everton 0–1 Arsenal – 20/12/25 |
|
Bournemouth 0–0 Chelsea – 6/12/25 |
Arsenal 2–1 Wolves – 13/12/25 |
|
Country |
TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, Sky GO, Sky GO Extra, NOW TV |
|
United States |
NBC, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, UNIVERSO, UNIVERSO NOW, Peacock |
|
Canada |
DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network Canada |
|
Mexico |
FOX One |
Not to do down Lewis Cook’s late fitness test and the ongoing absence of Ryan Christie, but the chief focus surrounding Bournemouth’s squad this weekend will undoubtedly revolve around Antoine Semenyo. The team’s leading scorer, prominent creator and long-throw specialist has one foot out of the door, but Iraola confirmed on Friday that he will not be going to Manchester City just yet.
“Antoine is going to play in this match,” he declared.
Scarcely spotted right back Julián Araujo will not be playing for the Cherries after getting loaned to Celtic this week.
USMNT midfield Tyler Adams remains sidelined until February, when Ben Gannon-Doak and Veljko Milosavljevic are also expected to be available again.
Bournemouth predicted lineup vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Petrović; Smith, Diakité, Senesi, Truffert; Scott, Tavernier; Brooks, Kluivert, Semenyo; Evanilson.
Arteta inadvertently revealed Declan Rice returned to training on Friday. It remains to be seen how the England international’s sore knee responded to that workout but there is a strong argument to be made insisting that he not be risked for Saturday’s trip south with the visit from Liverpool to come next Thursday. Whether Arteta heeds those concerns is another matter entirely.
Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori have both been ruled out by the Gunners boss, although his injury updates are hardly declarations of great authority.
Arsenal have stuck with the same front six for each of their last two matches which were separated by just three days. With nine more to come before the end of January, this may finally be the time for Arteta to willingly use the squad depth which has previously been exploited to cover for injured players.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs. Bournemouth (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapié; Ødegaard, Zubimendi, Eze; Madueke, Gyökeres, Martinelli.
“I know Andoni really well and see what he’s doing,” Arteta gushed this week “I think it’s incredible.” While the overall sentiment is obvious, some Bournemouth fans may disagree with that verdict given the recent run of results.
Bournemouth are winless in their last 10 matches. During that period, they have shipped three goals twice and conceded as many as four in three different games. It would appear that selling four of last season’s back five (including the goalkeeper) has caught up with the Cherries.
Arsenal, if they can rediscover that rampant edge from the second half against Aston Villa in midweek, will be well placed to exploit those defensive frailties.
