Following their disappointing 0-0 draw with Southampton earlier this week, Arsenal play against newly promoted Bournemouth in the Barclays Premier League. This game will mark the return of Benik Afobe to the Emirates; albeit for the opposition. The Gunners will be looking to make more of the chances that they create this time round so as to claw back some ground on league leaders Leicester.
Afobe will be making his return at the Emirates this weekend and despite praising his former side, he will no doubt be relishing the opportunity to score against the Gunners, and being in such fine form since his move to the Cherries, he may well achieve just that!
The 22-year-old could potentially be the undoing of Arsenal this weekend if they do not handle him properly. Afobe is very much a goal poacher and has a knack of being in the right place at the right time. Many may argue this is down to luck more than anything, but with the number of goals of such a nature, it is safe to say that the former Wolves man has developed an outstanding ability to dart into pockets of space to steal the ball before anyone realises what is happening. To make sure that his doesn’t happen, he must be marked tightly as well as making sure that the Arsenal defenders don’t muck around with the ball in the penalty box.
The main problem that the Gunners must address in the game is their poor finishing. They haven’t scored a goal in three league games and must make sure that they make the most of the chances that they create. With the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud in the side, there can be no excuses for poor finishing. Although, leaving Theo Walcott on the bench might be a sensible precaution as he has looked less than assured in front of goal as of late.
Overall, this is a game that the Gunners would be expecting to win, regardless of league ambitions and so they must play with the passion and courage to truly dominate the game. This game must be won so that the north London side might be afforded the chance to close the gap with their title rivals.
