AFC Bournemouth vs Arsenal at Stadion.Core.ViewModels.Matchday.LocationViewModel
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- W
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- Position
- 12th
- Played
- 38
- Points
- 44
- W
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- D
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- D
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- L
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- D
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- Position
- 6th
- Played
- 38
- Points
- 63
Matchday schedule: Arsenal
AFC Bournemouth take on Arsenal in the first home game of 2018.
With it being a Sunday game and a 1.30pm kick off, there are some amendments to our usual opening hours. Please arrive at the ground as early as possible as there will be 100% searching, so please do not bring a bag to the game unless necessary.
We're also encouraging supporters to support our food bank effort ahead of the game. Click here for more information on what we're doing before kick-off!
9am SOUTH STAND CAR PARK OPEN
Just behind the stadium, the South Stand car park is open for just £1 to all supporters.
It does tend to fill up approximately 75 minutes before kick-off and there may be delays in excess of half an hour leaving post-match. Please be aware, you can turn left out of this car park and right at the roundabout, which will bring you out via Gloucester Road in Boscombe.
Alternatively, the Sovereign Centre on Christchurch Road, which is also approximately 10 minutes’ walk from the ground, is available for matchday parking for both Saturday and week night games. Parking fees cost just £2 for 4 hours and £4 for 24 hours.
Supporters will also be able to use Harewood College for parking, in Harewood Avenue. Please use the street rather than the college if using SatNav.
This parking facility has the advantage of being away from the congestion around Kings Park, while only a short walk to Vitality Stadium, allowing easier access.
Available from 11am, the car park will be manned by a steward until kick-off and is free to use. We respectfully ask that all visitors keep to the 10mph and then the 5mph speed limits.
There are parking restrictions on many roads close to the ground and the club asks all matchday visitors to please respect these and ensure access to drives and garages is maintained. Residents have direct access to parking enforcement officers on a matchday and so to avoid any issues or fines please respect their access.
10am TICKET OFFICE OPEN
Tickets for our upcoming away games at Huddersfield Town, Wigan Athletic, Chelsea and the home game against Newcastle are available to purchase before the game - the ticket office will also be open for 20 minutes after the game.
There are no tickets available for the Arsenal game on the day.
10am SUPERSTORE OPEN
The Superstore is open from 10am on Sunday, and we will be trading for 20 minutes after the game. The retail pod outside the Ted MacDougall Colmar South Stand will be open at 11am and after the game too.
Don’t miss out on 20% off all of the club’s trainingwear both in store and online.
10.30am 1910 BAR OPEN
Want a drink before the game? The 1910 bar is open for home supporters and is located next to the press entrance in the Vitality Main Stand.
Supporters are required to show their home ticket on entry.
Hot food is available in the bistro section of the 1910 and bar does get busy, but below is an alternative…
10.30am THE GREAT ESCAPE OPEN
Our outside bar is open for business from 10.30am, with last orders at 12.45pm. Situated between the Thistlebarrow Road entrance and the Superstore, it’s a great place to meet friends before entering the ground for a drink and a hot snack.
The Digivan will also be live showing plenty of highlights and the latest from the club.
11am DC LOUNGE OPEN
The DC Lounge is open to both home and away disabled supporters pre-match.
It is based on the ground floor and first floor in the East Stand for the use of disabled supporters only.
This offers Sky/BT Sport TV and a refreshment service, and a great opportunity for supporters to socialise before the match. There is a lift available for supporters using the platform and two accessible toilets. The matchday quiz is a highlight too.
12pm TURNSTILES OPEN
Supporters can take their seats from 12pm and make the most of our pre-match combo. Choose from either a pie & pint for £5 (not available in the South Stand) or a pie & soft/hot drink for £4, both available up to half an hour before kick-off.
The Junior Cherries meal deal remains fantastic value at just £2.50 – just show your JC card at the food counter when ordering, and then enjoy!
If you join us early, there’s a prize draw with a signed Ryan Fraser shirt on offer and you’ll automatically be entered once your ticket has been scanned.
12.45pm PRE-MATCH ENTERTAINMENT BEGINS
We’ve revamped our big screen so there’s plenty of new entertainment on offer this season.
See lots of content ahead of Arsenal, the community draw and plenty more.
Make sure you are in your seats to see our latest Fans’ Champion place the matchball on the Premier League plinth just before kick-off.
Fan Champion is new this season and gives supporters the chance to nominate for selected games a fellow Cherries fan they think deserves a special matchday – someone who has achieved something great or is a valued member of the community. Just email [email protected] with your nominee’s name and why you think they should be a Fans’ Champion.
1.30pm KICK-OFF
We get underway for a big game against Arsenal!
Supporters are reminded that AFC Bournemouth does not tolerate any abusive or discriminatory language or behaviour and fans are encouraged to contact a steward should they witness this. Alternatively, supporters can confidentially text the support number on 07968 980580 with details.
Keep an eye out for half time too, where we’ll have our team relay!
Five Point Preview: Arsenal
We welcome Arsene Wenger's Gunners to Vitality Stadium on Sunday and it proves to be an exciting affair, with last season's fixture seeing a 3-3 draw played out.
Ahead of the clash, we looked at Arsenal and previewed five points on the north London outfit.
Mid-week game…
Arsenal’s mid-week game at Chelsea will give the Gunners plenty of confidence, as they now take a 0-0 draw to the Emirates for the second leg of their Carabao Cup quarter-final.
However, a clean sheet against the champions will be what Arsene Wenger is most pleased about, after being forced to leave out some core individuals such as Laurent Koscielny and Aaron Ramsey due to injury.
2017/18 form…
Arsenal’s season has been rather inconsistent to date. The side have recorded good wins against Huddersfield and north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, but also dropped points to Southampton, West Ham and West Brom.
However, perhaps the Gunners’ poorest defeat came just last weekend, as they were knocked out the FA Cup in the third round to Nottingham Forest. A 4-2 scoreline did not go down well amongst Arsenal fans and they’ll be hoping to see their side bounce back on Sunday.
Sanchez saga…
Alexis Sanchez’s name has featured on almost every back page since the January transfer window opened. With a rumoured move to Manchester City, having followed on from all the summer’s speculation, no-one quite knows whether a deal is on the cards!
Furthermore, fellow Lancashire outfit and City’s rivals Manchester United are now also rumoured to be interested in the Chilean international, who has over 100 caps for his country. Jose Mourinho’s side are also said to involve Henrikh Mkhitaryan as part of any potential deal.
The boss…
Arsene Wenger will face the last of a three-match touchline ban on Sunday, meaning that it will be Steve Bould instructing his players pitchside.
The Frenchman was handed the sanction by the FA for his behaviour in the official’s changing room after a recent Premier League game against West Brom.
Gunners team news…
Arsenal have plenty of injury concerns ahead of the week. Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal are almost certain to miss out, whilst Sead Kolasinac and Mesut Ozil are also doubts.
Additionally, former Cherries loanee Jack Wilshere picked up a slight injury during the mid-week game against Chelsea, subsequently being forced off. However, he could still return on Sunday and play a part back at Vitality Stadium.
Injury news: King and Stanislas could return
Joshua King and Junior Stanislas could both be in line for a return against Arsenal at the weekend.
King limped off against Everton after making the opening goal, while Stanislas hasn’t played since the defeat to Manchester City.
The boss also provided an update on Tyrone Mings and Jermain Defoe as they continue to recover from longer term injuries.
"Both Joshua and Junior are making really good progress,” he said.
"They’re both back for us on the training pitch so we’re pleased with that, but we’ll have to make a late decision on whether they will play.
"We have no fresh injuries either. We’ve got Tyrone Mings who has a complicated injury, we thought a period of rest would solve it and that hasn’t worked. Unfortunately, he’ll have to have a longer period of rest before he returns.
"Jermain is good at the moment, he’s restricted to wearing a protected boot so there’s no massive update on him but we’re expecting him to progress in the time frame we have set."
Media View: What to expect from Arsenal
AFC Bournemouth welcome Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal side to Vitality Stadium for this this coming Sunday’s Premier League game.
afcb.co.uk spoke to Chris Wheatley, Arsenal correspondent for goal.com, to preview the weekend’s game on the south coast.
afcb.co.uk: How would you summarise Arsenal’s season so far?
CW: It has been inconsistent. They’ve turned in some very good performances against some of the bigger sides, especially at home, but they’ve had some issues on the road.
They’re still in the Europa League and the Carabao Cup, but to exit the FA Cup, a competition they’ve traditionally done so well in, against Nottingham Forest was a massive disappointment.
The season has been as expected so far, but that may start to turn if they struggle in the coming weeks.
afcb.co.uk: How have the summer signings fared so far and do you expect any transfer business this month?
CW: Arsenal needed a left-back and a striker in the summer and that was exactly what they went and signed in Kolasinac and Lacazette. Both have looked really good so far. Lacazette has the most home goals of any striker in the league.
One area Wenger is looking to strengthen this month is at the back. With Mertesacker retiring, Koscielny having a few injury issues and Chambers and Holding seemingly needing a bit of guidance, they’ll try to add reinforcements in that area.
afcb.co.uk: How important is the coming month for Arsenal?
CW: This is always a key stage in season for Arsenal. They’ve had stages during previous seasons in which everything has fallen apart. That happened last season when they lost 10-2 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The two legs against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup will be vital.
afcb.co.uk: Who have been the standout performers?
CW: It all depends on whether he’s fit or not, but Ozil has been the standout performer. There is obviously a lot of speculation about his future, and rightly so because he has everything you would want in a player.
The way he can pick out a pass in the tightest of areas - opposition defenders must hate playing against him. He’s been in great form and has been a big reason why Arsenal have been picking up results.
Alexis, on his day, is a real handful, but hasn’t been great until the past few weeks. Lacazette is another interesting one and always looks a threat.
afcb.co.uk: The corresponding game last season ended 3-3. What kind of a game do you expect this weekend?
CW: Arsenal are still in a similar predicament defensively and at times they are all over the place.
I’d expect another end-to-end, counter-attacking match. Wenger has often said how much he admires Eddie Howe and the way he has got AFC Bournemouth playing. In general Bournemouth seem like an exciting team to watch.
It probably won’t be another 3-3, but I’m confident that there will be goals.
Chris is on Twitter at @ChrisWheatley_.
Ref Watch: Friend in action on Sunday
Kevin Friend will be the man in the middle on Sunday, as Arsenal travel to Vitality Stadium.
The official has taken charge of 11 Premier League games to date this season, handing out 26 yellow cards and awarding six penalties. However, the 46-year-old is yet to award a penalty in English football's top flight this season.
Friend last took charge of the Cherries for December's encounter with Crystal Palace, as Jermain Defoe scored twice to ensure the points were shared. Arsenal's 2-0 win over Brighton in October was the last time he refereed the Gunners.
On Saturday, Friend will be assisted by Harry Lennard and Matthew Wilkes, with Lee Probert.
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