The City vs Arsenal fixture the following weekend could take on added significance if results this weekend were to go in the Gunners' favour, and with Mikel Arteta's squad within touching distance of their first league title in 22 years, the next few games are amongst the most important in the club's recent history.
Bournemouth are unbeaten in 11
Although the North Londoners have 12 wins, two draws, and just one defeat in 15 Premier League home games this season, a win against Andoni Iraola's side is far from guaranteed.
The Cherries are unbeaten in 11 league games, equalling a club record, and they made Arsenal work hard for their 3-2 win at the Vitality Stadium earlier in the 2025/26 campaign.
The last five of those matches have all been draws (against West Ham, Sunderland, Brentford, Burnley and Man United), and if the points are shared on Saturday, the South Coast club will become the first Premier League side since Manchester City in November 2009 to play out six successive draws.
Bournemouth have won two of their last three league games against Arsenal (including a 2-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium last season), which is more than they had done in the previous 14 meetings (W1 D2 L11), and they can stop the hosts from making it five wins in a row for the third time this season, something which they've only previously managed in the 2013/14 and 2022/23 campaigns.
Junior Kroupi was on target for the Cherries in their last game against Man Utd, with what was his ninth league goal of the season.
If he were to find the net at the Emirates, he would become the first teenager to score 10+ goals in his first season in the competition since Robbie Keane for Coventry City in the 1999/00 campaign.
Declan Rice loves playing against the Cherries
The visitors do have quality all over the pitch, too, with Adrien Truffert joint-third amongst defenders for open play assists this season (three).
His 74 overlapping runs in the Premier League this season are 36 more than anyone else, so keeping his raiding at bay has to be part of Arteta's game plan.
Arsenal's quality isn't in doubt, of course, and after two galling defeats at the hands of Man City in the Carabao Cup final and Southampton in the FA Cup, the Gunners got a much-needed boost with a first-ever European knockout-stage win in Portugal, after beating Sporting 1-0.
Declan Rice was excellent in that game, and he loves playing against Bournemouth, given that he's both scored (five) and been involved in seven Premier League goals against the Cherries, more than any other opponent. All seven of his involvements have also come in his last eight appearances against them, too.
15 clean sheets for Arsenal this season
It isn't clear at this stage if Rice will be joined by Bukayo Saka or Jurrien Timber, as both face late fitness tests to determine their availability. Eberechi Eze has a better chance of being fit, though he won't be risked if he's not at 100%, whilst Piero Hincapie and Mikel Merino are definitely out.
The Cherries will be missing Tyler Adams, Lewis Cook, Julio Soler and Justin Kluivert, meaning a shuffling of the pack for Iraola. Not ideal when you're chasing a finish in the European spots, and are only four points away from the positions which would guarantee the same.
To give a little more perspective on just how difficult an assignment this could be for the visitors, Arsenal have 15 clean sheets already this season, and are averaging 0.71 expected goals against per game in the Premier League (22.1 xGA in 31 games).
That's the lowest from any side in a season in the English top-flight since Manchester City in the 2021/22 campaign (0.65 per game).
Final 15 minutes should be worth watching
With at least three goals scored in five of the past six H2Hs, there's every chance of another exciting encounter, though Saka's involvement could be key, as he's had the most total shots of the entire Arsenal squad this season (63), and the most on target (26).
Viktor Gyokeres continues to impress with his goalscoring output too (11 in the league so far), though his all-around game certainly needs to be improved upon.
For Bournemouth, Marcus Tavernier is another player who could well have a say in the destination of the three points. The 27-year-old has not only created the most chances for his side (36), but also has the joint most assists (four) and the joint most shots at goal (58).
Given that both teams have scored and conceded the most goals in the final 15 minutes of their games this season, this match could well have a sting in the tail for one or the other.
