"They cannot afford to slip up" - Chris Sutton makes score prediction for Arsenal vs Bournemouth
Former England international Chris Sutton has made his prediction for Arsenal's Premier League home game with Bournemouth on Saturday (May 4).
The Gunners are atop the standings after 35 games, a point clear of second-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand. Mikel Arteta's side arrive with momentum, having won their last three games.
Following a thrilling 3-2 win at Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, the Gunners will look to continue their win streak against the Cherries, who are tenth in the standings, winning their last two games.
In his prediction column for the BBC, Sutton noted Bournemouth's impressive late-season form but tipped the Gunners to take all three points with a 3-1 win.
"Bournemouth are finishing the season strongly, and have already surpassed their record points tally for a Premier League season.
"That's especially impressive when you remember they did not win their first league game until 28 October, but Andoni Iraola has turned everything round and has proved me wrong because I thought he was out of his depth at first.
He concluded:
"I can't look past an Arsenal win here, though, with what is at stake for them in the title race. They cannot afford to slip up, and they won't."
The Gunners are seeking their first league title in two decades.
What happened when Arsenal played Bournemouth earlier this season?
Arsenal have happy memories from their last league outing against Bournemouth. At the Vitality in September, Mikel Arteta's side ran out comfortable 4-0 victors.
Bukayo Saka broke the deadlock in the 17th minute before Martin Odegaard doubled the advantage from the spot a minute before the break. Eight minutes into the second period, Kai Havertz made it 3-0 for the visitors.
Ben White's strike in the third minute of stoppge time was the coup de la grace as the Gunners returned from the Vitality with all three points. They will fancy their chances of a league double, having won all six previous home league meetings with the Cherries.