ARSENAL could extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points today when they clash with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
The odds are stacked heavily against the home team pulling off an upset when the league leaders make the visit for their first game in the second half of this season.
The Gunners have looked like champions since the get-go, and there is nothing to suggest they will not add another three points to their tally as they continue their bid for a first league title since 2004.
What is worrying is that Manchester City appear to have found form despite their midweek draw, and Arsenal have looked distracted in a couple of games recently.
But it’s not crisis time yet, so Mikel Arteta and his charges should simply get on with the business at hand and dismantle Bournemouth as best as they can.
The Cherries know they face a huge task despite playing at home. While Arsenal showed signs of being lacklustre recently, they still came through with the right results – and those are the telling signs of champions.
Their optimistic fanbase will be expecting nothing short of a win today, and Arteta and team will be aiming for just that.
Their win over third placed Aston Villa on Tuesday was emphatic – one that many a pundit described as “a statement win”.
Well, they’ll need to win again, lest they see Man City close in at the top of the standings and bring back that familiar feeling of despair – experienced so heavily over the last three campaigns, when on each occasion the Gunners finished second in the league.
With Gabriel Magalhães back to his best after an injury layoff, the Gunners camp will be bouncing.
The sturdy defender was instrumental in their 4-1 romp over Villa, in which he scored the opener.
Midfielder Martin Zubimendi, who went off the boil for a while after a strong start to his time at the Emirates earlier in the season, and striker Gabriel Jesus, returning from injury, also looked sharp and were among the goalscorers in midweek.
One feels it will take something special for Bournemouth to upend the Gunners, who know things are tight at the top. — By SHAUN ORANGE
