“Arsenal have had a couple of scares lately” - Alan Shearer makes prediction as Gunners prepare to face Bournemouth
Premier League legend Alan Shearer has shared his prediction for Arsenal's upcoming league clash against Bournemouth. The two sides will face off at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, October 19.
The Gunners are unbeaten across competitions this season and sit third in the Premier League table with five wins and two draws. They have been fortunate in multiple games but have managed to edge out results. In their last two league games, Leicester City and Southampton gave them trouble but the north London side won 4-2 and 3-1, respectively.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, are 13th in the Premier League table with two wins, two draws, and three defeats. They have won just one of their last four games and will look for an upturn in form on Saturday.
In his column for Metro, pundit Alan Shearer made his prediction for the clash, writing:
"I’d be really surprised if Bournemouth were to cause an upset here. This is a game where you’d like to see what state the players come back in from international duty, whether Bukayo Saka is going to be fit or not for example for Arsenal. We will have to wait and see.
"Arsenal have had a couple of scares lately, but they’ve managed to get results even though they’ve left it late, so I expect them to go there and get the three points once again."
The Gunners beat Bournemouth in both of their Premier League fixtures last season.
Arsenal legend names replacement for Bukayo Saka if he's unfit for Bournemouth clash
Bukayo Saka came off the pitch in the second half of England's UEFA Nations League clash against Greece on October 10. He then returned to Arsenal and didn't feature in the Three Lions' clash against Finland. He is reported to be fit for the Bournemouth clash but there are still doubts about his fitness.
If Saka does miss the match, former Gunners goalkeeper David Seaman has named the player who could replace him well. He said on the Seaman Says podcast (via Metro):
"But we’ve got players on the bench. Even though Bukayo could be out, it will probably give a chance to Raheem so that’s a really good replacement.
"Speed worries defenders, doesn’t it? It’s the worst thing ever. You don’t have to be that brainy to get on the end of some of the passes that get put through but speed embarrasses people."
Arsenal signed Sterling on loan from London rivals Chelsea in the summer. He's made five appearances across competitions, starting twice, and registered one goal and one assist.