Bournemouth

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola told BBC Sport after Bournemouth's win over Arsenal: "We showed great personality to play in a big game and a big stadium. We've been at the level of the game. I'm very happy for the players."

On 22 days without a game: "You are worried you lose the intensity of the competition. We started really well. We recovered some players. Physically we sustained the level of the game. We finished strong. We were coming from a lot of draws in a row.

"Alex [Scott] has been like this for many months. He was amazing today. He's in such good form. I'm so happy for him. He's worked a lot to be at this level.

"Defensively apart from the penalty we defended those [set-piece] situations. We were quite brave. A complete performance.

"It's a matter of growing into the game. We had very good spells on the ball. We were finding good gaps in the middle."

On their European hopes: "It's difficult for us but it's true that we are not far. There are many teams in a good run without losing. Whoever gets the final two spots will finish in a big run of games."

Did you know?

• Bournemouth extended their Premier League unbeaten run to 12 games (five wins, seven draws), their outright longest ever streak in the competition.

• Only Pep Guardiola (seven) and Jürgen Klopp (four) have recorded more wins against Mikel Arteta in the Premier League than Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola (three).

Alex Howell
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth came into this match after three weeks without a game and looked much the fresher side as they took on a jaded Arsenal, whose efforts in knockout football look to have taken a toll.

The visitors are managed by the excellent Andoni Iraola and his ranks are packed with quality. They have not lost a game since 3 January, and it showed, even though Arsenal were the last side to get the better of them.

Ryan Christie kept the Cherries ticking over in midfield and it was his pass that opened up the Arsenal defence for the opening goal.

Bournemouth's full-backs, Alex Jimenez and Adrien Truffert, are full of running and provided the width and attacking threat for their side which Arsenal could not shut off throughout the game.

Victory moves Bournemouth up to ninth place, just four points off the Champions League positions.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Arsenal's performance

What did you make of Bournemouth's display?

Come back on Sunday for a selection of your replies

Image source, BBC Sport

Myles Lewis-Skelly starts in place of Riccardo Calafiori, who is not in the Arsenal squad. There is also no Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka or Jurrien Timber for the Gunners. Eberechi Eze returns to the bench after injury.

Arsenal starting XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Zubimendi, Havertz, Martinelli, Madueke, Gyokeres

Subs: Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, Hincapie, Jesus, Eze, Norgaard, Trossard, Dowman, Salmon

Andoni Iraola makes one change to the Bournemouth side that played against Manchester United in their last league game. Junior Kroupi comes in for Amine Adli.

Bournemouth starting XI: Petrovic, Jimenez, Senesi, Hill, Truffert, Christie, Scott, Tavernier, Kroupi, Rayan, Evanilson

Subs: Mandas, Adams, Brooks, Gannon-Doak, Smith, Diakite, Adli, Unal, Toth

Image source, BBC Sport

There are four games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Arsenal v Bournemouth (12:30)

• Brentford v Everton (15:00) - Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Burnley v Brighton (15:00) - Listen on Sports Extra 2

• Liverpool v Fulham (17:30) - Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times BST

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Brentford v Everton" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Liverpool v Fulham".

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

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Mexico right-back Julian Araujo has all but confirmed his season is over after picking up an injury on loan to Celtic from Bournemouth.

The 24-year-old had arrived at Celtic Park in January hoping more game time would force himself into his country's World Cup squad this summer.

He played 13 times for reigning champions sitting third in the Scottish Premiership, but interim manager Martin O'Neill revealed that he did not expect Araujo to return after he broke down during his attempt to recover from a thigh injury back at his parent club.

The player has since posted on Facebook: "I don't have all the answers right now, but I trust that everything happens for a reason and that God is guiding every step of this journey.

"I'm truly grateful to Celtic Football Club for welcoming me from day one and making Glasgow feel like home.

"Wearing this badge and experiencing the passion, history, and energy of this club is something I'll carry with me forever.

"To my teammates and coaches – thank you for everything we shared this season.

"I'll be behind you all the way and have no doubt in what this group can achieve.

"This isn't the way I imagined this season ending, but it's part of the story. I'll take this moment, grow through it and come back stronger than ever."

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Arsenal will aim to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to 12 points against a Bournemouth side unbeaten in their past 11 matches.

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes ahead of their meeting at Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta called for perspective before the quarter-final first-leg visit to Sporting on Tuesday night and the Gunners' mini-crisis was subsequently averted following a last-gasp 1-0 win.

Arteta's side had entered that contest following losses in the League Cup final and quarter-finals of the FA Cup in back-to-back matches, but a crucial midweek European win has softened the landing of a return to Premier League football, where their form has remained consistently good in recent weeks.

Arsenal resume domestic affairs knowing a win against Bournemouth will stretch their lead at the top of the table to 12 points, with Manchester City not travelling to Chelsea until Sunday.

A victory against the Cherries would also equal Arsenal's longest winning run this season of five Premier League fixtures, a feat they have achieved twice already in 2025-26.

Central to their success in recent matches has been teenager Max Dowman. The 16-year-old scored in Arsenal's last league outing against Everton to seal a 2-0 win, while his appearance as a second-half substitute against Sporting earlier this week when the game was still goalless demonstrated his increased trust to play in the biggest matches.

Dowman's midweek outing made him the second-youngest player to feature in a Champions League knockout match at the age of 16 years and 97 days, although visitors Bournemouth have a starlet of their own enjoying a standout season.

Junior Kroupi may be several years older than his Arsenal counterpart, but the 19-year-old's performances bely those of a teenager playing his first season of Premier League football.

Twelve of Kroupi's 26 Premier League appearances in this campaign have come off the bench as he vies with Evanilson for game time but the France Under-21 international has still scored nine league goals, including one in the 3-2 home defeat to Arsenal in January.

His most recent goal came from the penalty spot to earn the Cherries a 2-2 draw at Manchester United on 20 March and preserve their 11-game unbeaten run.

Should Kroupi score for the second time against the Gunners this season, he will become the first teenager to score 10 goals in his debut Premier League campaign since Robbie Keane for Coventry City in 1999-00 (12), and just the fourth overall.

As I was saying on this week's Monday Night Club, some of the stuff I heard criticising Arsenal after they lost two games in a row is over the top.

Yes, they were well beaten by Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, but City are a good side and they can do that to teams. Then it was Arsenal's reserves who lost to Southampton in the FA Cup.

We saw a reaction from Mikel Arteta's side with their win over Sporting on Tuesday. It was a big goal from Kai Havertz to give them an advantage to take into next week's second leg, and I think we will see a similar performance here.

Bournemouth will give them a good game and they are in decent form too - they are on a run of five draws but they have not lost in 11 league matches since Arsenal beat them 3-2 on the south coast at the start of January.

Everyone is trying to put the pressure on Arsenal but I've looked at the games they have got left, including this one, and their record against all seven opponents earlier this season is strong - the only team they have to play who they haven't beaten already is City.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium (12:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Iraola confirmed Junior Kroupi and Alex Jimenez returned from the international break with niggles, but both are "fully recovered and ready to go".

• Justin Kluivert and Lewis Cook are the club's only "injured players" right now. Cook is "taking more time than expected" to return to action after suffering a setback, while Kluivert is rushing to come back before the World Cup, but he isn't ready yet.

• Julio Soler is in first-team training, but he isn't ready "to play a lot of minutes", however, Tyler Adams and Ben Gannon-Doak have used the time off to "put themselves back into contention", leaving his squad "in a good place" going into the final stretch of the season.

• He added: "I will have to make difficult decisions this weekend because there will probably be more than 20 players ready to travel."

• The three-week break has been "a strange one", however, it has given him a chance to work with the players returning from injury. He added: "We will see if we are ready. We should be fresh and definitely motivated, though, because we are facing Arsenal, away from home, in a big game."

• When asked about travelling to St Mary's Stadium to watch the Gunners in FA Cup action, he replied: "It's something I like to do. I used to do it a lot when I was living in Madrid. The feeling you get from watching a game in-person is different to watching on TV. It gave me more information."

• On whether now is a good moment to play Mikel Arteta's side, after their Carabao Cup final and FA Cup quarter-final defeats: "There's never a good moment to face them. They are always very difficult to beat. They changed their team a bit for those cup games, but recovered their starting XI for Sporting and took a massive win. I expect the best Arsenal."

• Bournemouth will need "something special" to beat the league leaders, so he called for his players to "be focused, be disciplined and make them earn everything" at Emirates Stadium.

• It is a "strange feeling" to have gone 11 Premier League games unbeaten, having drawn five of those games in a row, but it is still a chance to "break a club record". He added: "For us, it's the fact that things are so tight and one goal or two points can make a huge difference to the table."

• He has spoken to the club about his future now, but explained: "I'm sorry, I don't have any news for you. There has been no change on that side of things."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Got a question about Bournemouth? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

The Premier League's return this weekend brings trepidation for some and excitement for others.

Football's emotional rollercoaster becomes intense at this time of year, unless of course mid-table mediocrity has taken a grip of things in recent months.

So how are you feeling as a Bournemouth fan with just a handful of weeks left to go?

The league form reads: WDDDDD

The next three league fixtures are: Arsenal (a), Newcastle (a) and Leeds (h)

Let us know how you're feeling here

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

When Bournemouth run out at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, it will be nearly a year since they recorded one of the most famous away wins in the club's history at the same venue.

It was 3 May, 2025 when Andoni Iraola's Cherries triumphed 2-1 against his childhood team-mate Mikel Arteta's Arsenal to complete a seasonal double over the Gunners, who had already lost out on the 2024-25 title to newly crowned champions Liverpool.

Then, as now, Arsenal v Bournemouth was sandwiched between a two-legged Champions League knockout tie, but despite two recent cup defeats ending talk of a quadruple, this is an Arsenal side still battling on two fronts and holding a nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Bournemouth, in some ways, are barely recognisable from the team which pulled off that victory last May. Of the 15 Cherries players to take the field that day, six are no longer at the club, two are out on loan and only three of the remaining seven started the most recent game against Manchester United, with three others currently injured.

If anyone needs reminding, three of last season's Cherries back four are involved in the Champions League quarter-finals, as is last season's regular goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who is likely to be on Arsenal's bench against his former loan side.

And if that Arsenal game last May feels like a long time ago, it also feels a long time since Bournemouth led the "as it stands" Premier League table for an hour or so during their eighth league game of the season at Crystal Palace in October.

But while the only record Bournemouth look in danger of breaking is the most draws in a Premier League season - their total of 15 is two shy of the 38-game season record of 17 - they will surely not give up hope of grabbing a European place until it is mathematically impossible to earn it.

With Arsenal's win at Sporting on Tuesday guaranteeing a fifth Champions League place for English clubs, two of the FA Cup semi-finalists in contention for top-five spots, and Manchester City's Conference League place for winning the Carabao Cup surely destined to revert to the league, it is not unrealistic that eighth place could earn European qualification.

However, with remaining fixtures against Arsenal, Newcastle,Leeds, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Manchester City and Nottingham Forest, the Cherries would have to do it the hard way.

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League will have at least five teams in the Champions League next season after securing a European Performance Spot for the second straight year.

The extra place was confirmed on Tuesday as Arsenal beat Sporting 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.

Uefa awards an additional place to the two leagues with the best overall performance across the three European competitions.

The race for fifth place in the Premier League, currently held by Liverpool on 49 points, is exceptionally tight.

Just seven points separate Arne Slot's side from 13th-placed Bournemouth.

Chelsea (48) sit in sixth followed by Brentford (46), Everton (46), Fulham (44), Brighton (43), Sunderland (43), Newcastle (42) and Bournemouth (42).

If Aston Villa, who are fourth on 54 points, win the Europa League and finish outside the top four, the Premier League would have six teams in the Champions League.

The same logic applies to Liverpool, who face Paris St-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.

If either win a European trophy and finish fifth, then sixth would qualify for the Champions League via the EPS place.

If both win European trophies and finish fifth and sixth, that would put seventh into the Champions League.

Nottingham Forest are in the quarter-finals of the Europa League. They could emulate Tottenham by winning the competition and finishing in the bottom half of the table.

Just like last season, that would create a sixth team in the Champions League for the Premier League too.

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Eli Junior Kroupi could make another piece of history in what has been an impressive first season in English football this weekend.

After scoring his ninth league goal of the season from the penalty spot in the Cherries' most recent league game against Manchester United, the 19-year-old could become the first teenager to score 10 or more goals in their first Premier League season since Robbie Keane for Coventry City in 1999-2000 (12).

Already the Cherries' youngest-ever Premier League goalscorer, achieving such a feat against league leaders Arsenal at Emirates Stadium would be typical of a youngster who has taken to life in the English top flight like a duck to water, with no fear and no respect for reputation.

Kroupi's nine league goals this season have come from 26 appearances, but only 14 starts. The penalty against United was his only spot-kick, and it is the instinctive nature and variety of his goals that have really caught the attention.

In his catalogue for the season so far are two finishes with his weaker left foot, a header and three strikes from outside the box - including a stunner in the match against Arsenal at Vitality Stadium earlier this season.

Of players who have scored more than once this season, only Erling Haaland's 110 minutes per goal betters Kroupi's ratio of 129 minutes per goal.

His efficiency is also impressive. Of players who have scored five or more times this season, Kroupi's conversion rate (including blocks) of 26.6% is only bettered by Brentford's Igor Thiago (26.8), Leeds' Lukas Nmecha (27.3%), Brighton's Danny Welbeck (27.9%) and Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes (28.1%).

His efficiency highlights a ruthlessness that many experienced strikers spend years trying to develop.

There are few wasted shots. Only Guimaraes, Fulham's Harry Wilson and Manchester City's former Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo have outperformed their xG (expected goals) more in the Premier League so far this campaign.

Whether or not he reaches this particular landmark at Arsenal, Kroupi's debut campaign has already marked him out as one of the division's most exciting young forwards - and another potentially very valuable asset uneathered and platformed by Bournemouth.

All statistics provided by Opta

Sam Davis
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

It feels inevitable that despite losing so many defenders last summer, Bournemouth's current key man at the heart of the backline will be heading out the door in a few months' time.

Marcos Senesi has been a warrior at the back ever since signing for the club in the summer of 2022. His stature on the south coast has only enhanced since then, particularly following the departures of fellow centre-backs Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi at the start of this season.

Sadly for the Cherries, Senesi has not signed a contract extension and will have plenty of suitors when it comes to its conclusion this summer, with the likes of Liverpool, Juventus and Barcelona already linked.

It is no surprise that the European elite are circling around the Argentine. He ranks second in clearances in the Premier League this season and is also ranked highly in terms of blocked shots by defenders. Plus, his passing stands out too, whether that be progressive, dangerous or simply with his accurate long-ball passing range which helps fuel Bournemouth's counter-attacking threat.

Fortunately for the Cherries, the emergence of James Hill has helped the defensive unit and there is plenty of excitement around teenage Serbian Veljko Milosavjlevic. The club also spent a fair chunk of money of French defender Bafode Diakite in the summer, although he has struggled to adapt - however, he is another one who the club will look to if Senesi were to depart.

Europe's elite may well be ready to pounce to grab Senesi on a free transfer, but there is no doubt Bournemouth will try their best to convince him to stay. Can the Cherries sell the project once more and keep hold of their Argentine? The fans will certainly hope so!

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Crystal Palace are believed to be moving on to other managerial targets as Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is unlikely to make the switch to Selhurst Park. (Sky Sports), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Shamoon Hafez
Football reporter

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Who will win the Premier League player of the season?

That won't be announced until towards the end of May but we already have a pretty good idea of the contenders, based on players' performances so far this campaign.

Arsenal are leading the way in the title race and should they win, the likes of defender Gabriel and midfelder Declan Rice will surely be in contention but more unexpected stars like Igor Thiago and Antoine Semenyo will likely be in the mix.

A player with 19 goal contributions in the Premier League this season, Semenyo has been one of the stars of the top flight for Bournemouth and then Manchester City following his move in January.

The 26-year-old immediately hit his strides under Guardiola and scored on his debut in the 10-1 hammering of Exeter City in the FA Cup, one of eight goals for City since his £62.5m transfer from the Cherries.

By featuring against Real Madrid, Semenyo became just the fourth player to compete in non-league, all four professional divisions in England and Europe's elite competition.

The Ghana winger would have wanted to win major silverware at City and did just that when lifting the EFL Cup following his side's brilliant win over Arsenal at Wembley.

Read more on the contenders for player of the season

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

With Bournemouth's men halfway through a three-week spell without a first-team fixture, it was the chance for the women's team to take centre stage at the weekend.

Loftus Road has not traditionally been a happy hunting ground for the Cherries men, who did not win there in 14 attempts between 1959 and 2021, although that sequence finally ended with a gritty 1-0 win in the Championship in 2021-22, followed by a 3-2 FA Cup success there in 2024.

However, on Saturday, the Shepherd's Bush location was the neutral venue for the Women's National League (WNL) Cup final, a competition contested by the 72 teams in the third and fourth tiers of the women's pyramid, with Bournemouth taking on WNL Southern Premier Division promotion rivals Plymouth Argyle.

And it was the Cherries who struck early, with Bermuda international Kenni Thompson netting directly from a corner, emulating Marcus Tavernier's 'Olimpico' for the men's team against Nottingham Forest in October.

While the lack of a second goal to kill the game off meant a nervy last few minutes, with goalkeeper Katie Scadding repelling attempts to puncture her clean sheet, Bournemouth held on to lift their fifth trophy in four years, after their WNL Division One South West title and WNL Plate double last season, and back-to-back Hampshire Senior Cups in 2023 and 2024.

It also completed a remarkable sequence of eight games in this season's WNL Cup – three in the group stage, and five knockout ties – without conceding a single goal in the competition.

The final can still be viewed in full on BBC iPlayer for another 26 days.

While a pair of recent defeats – Bournemouth's first league losses since March 2023 – have left them trailing second-placed Plymouth, who occupy the promotion play-off position, by six points, the Cherries still have two games in hand as they chase promotion to WSL 2.

And while such a promotion would likely mean a sea change in terms of moving towards full-time contracts, the Cherries have already broken new ground by handing boss Helen Bleazard a fresh three-year contract to become the club's first ever full-time women's head coach.

Tom Jordan
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Cherries fans are still nervously waiting to see whether Andoni Iraola will sign a contract extension with the club, with his current deal expiring at the end of the season.

Fans are clutching at any scraps of news in the hope their main man stays.

Andoni's presence at a recent match involving the club's under-21s has only intensified discussion among supporters about his future, with some questioning why a manager expected to depart would take such interest in Bournemouth's emerging talent if he were planning to move on.

There is however a possibility that the head coach was purely keeping an eager eye on returning first-team winger, Ben Gannon-Doak. The Scottish youngster returned to the first team for a short cameo last time out, having previously not played since the start of November because of injury.

The future of Andoni simply must come to its conclusion one way or the other, and the gaffer himself has indicated a decision will be made, and the fans will be made aware, very soon.

It's fair to say Cherries fans are desperate for Iraola to stay and extend his contract, but I'd say it currently feels very 50/50 on whether they believe he will.

Andoni will clearly have a lot of suitors, and now that the club he supports in Athletic Club have announced their manager is set to depart come the season's conclusion, the fear amongst Cherries fans is growing.

Another club to reportedly signal their interest is Crystal Palace, however this has been branded as "tittle-tattle" by many, and certainly on Andoni's part, with an ownership at Bournemouth who are certainly prepared to be ambitious - a potential move across to south London would be nothing short of baffling.

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