Arsenal host Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium today looking to pick up their first win in November.
The Gunners have drawn their last two top-flight fixtures against north London rivals Tottenham and Manchester United, and they also only picked up a solitary point in the goalless draw with Middlesbrough before they beat Sunderland 4-1 at the end of October.
Despite struggling to win in recent weeks, Arsene Wenger’s men are just three points behind Chelsea at the summit as they look to win the title for the first time since 2004.
They now come up against a Cherries side that are situated in the top half of the table in what has been a strange season of results.
Eddie Howe’s men suffered successive defeats against Middlesbrough and Sunderland before they beat Stoke City 1-0 at the Bet365 Stadium last weekend – proving they are no pushovers on the road.
Here is FootballFanCast’s Arsenal XI to beat Bournemouth…
GK: Petr Cech
As has been the case in the Champions League this season, David Ospina was between the sticks for the 2-2 draw with Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates in midweek, but he will be replaced by the club’s No.1 stopper when the Premier League resumes this weekend.
Cech is one of the best goalkeepers in the league and he will be looking to keep a clean sheet so that one goal may well be enough for the goal-shy attackers at the other end.
LB: Nacho Monreal
Whereas Kieran Gibbs played on the left-hand side of the back four against PSG on Wednesday, as with the goalkeeping situation, Monreal should be brought back into the starting XI for the visit of the Cherries.
While he is solid at the back – as he may need to be against an in-form Junior Stanislas – the Spaniard also offers an important attacking outlet going forward, and his crossing could be key if Giroud starts up top.
CB: Laurent Koscielny
With Per Mertesacker still on the sidelines because of injury, Koscielny is Arsenal’s main man in defence, although both him and Shkodran Mustafi were criticised by Charlie Nicholas for their ‘lazy’ performances against PSG in midweek.
Wenger will be looking for an improvement on that showing when Bournemouth come to the Emirates, and a clean sheet would be nice too – something that the Gunners haven’t managed in their previous five fixtures in all competitions.
CB: Shkodran Mustafi
As mentioned before, the German defender came under fire for the poor defending in the Champions League encounter against PSG, but Mustafi – who has been reliable enough at centre-back following his summer move from Valencia – should start again against Eddie Howe’s men.
He will have to keep a close eye on Callum Wilson, who should have had a penalty when he was brought down by Ryan Shawcross in his side’s 1-0 win at Stoke last weekend.
RB: Carl Jenkinson
With Hector Bellerin ruled out for six weeks, Jenkinson has stepped into the right-back position in the last couple of matches for the Gunners.
The 24-year-old will once again be looking to impress his manager with a positive performance against Bournemouth, and he will have to be strong defensively against the likes of Junior Stanislas and Josh King, as well as being a threat for his side going forward, as Bellerin usually is.
CM: Granit Xhaka
Xhaka has started eight matches for Arsenal this season, and the Gunners have won six and drawn two of those.
Despite that fine record, the summer signing has struggled to break into the first-team in recent weeks as Wenger has preferred a central midfield combination of Francis Coquelin, Mohamed Elneny and the returning Aaron Ramsey.
With the number of draws and the fact that there is an EFL Cup quarter-final tie against Southampton to come on Wednesday, Xhaka could get his opportunity to impress.
CM: Aaron Ramsey
Arsene Wenger played Coquelin and Elneny together in the midfield against Middlesbrough at the Emirates, which only yielded a goalless draw, and since Ramsey returned from injury he has given a more creative spark in the centre of the pitch.
The Gunners will need that incisive passing in the midfield if they are to break down what could be a stubborn Cherries defence on the road, and they will be looking to the likes of the Welshman to bring that to the game.
LAM: Alexis Sanchez
The Chile international has played the majority of the season in the lone striker’s position but following the return to full fitness and form of Olivier Giroud, the forward is likely to be pushed back once again as he was against PSG in midweek.
Arsenal seem to struggle going forward when Sanchez isn’t on his game and they will hope that he can use his movement and finishing ability so that Arsenal can finally end their run of draws with a win against Bournemouth.
CAM: Mesut Ozil
While he may not get as many goals as he perhaps should, Ozil is usually behind any good attacking move that Arsenal produce, and he will once again be tasked with unlocking the Bournemouth defence on Sunday.
Harry Arter is likely to be the man asked to keep a close eye on the Germany international, and Ozil could have to be clever in that respect, as the Cherries midfielder is a tireless worker in the middle of the park.
RAM: Theo Walcott
Arsenal will expect their side to go on the attack when they face a side like Bournemouth at home, and it is an encounter that someone like Walcott should thrive in.
Alex Iwobi started the Champions League match in midweek but the England international is expected to retake his place in the starting XI now, and he will want to use his pace and direct running to get at the Cherries defence.
ST: Olivier Giroud
Giroud was given an extended break at the start of the season after featuring for France at Euro 2016 and struggled to break through when back due to the impressive performances of Sanchez, but he is their forward in form right now and has to start against the Cherries.
The 30-year-old has scored five goals in his last five appearances for Arsenal, including the equaliser against Manchester United last weekend and a penalty in the 2-2 draw with PSG on Wednesday.
