Gary Neville predicts winner of Bournemouth vs Arsenal

Manchester United icon Gary Neville has made his prediction for Arsenal's upcoming Premier League encounter against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday (30 September).

The Englishman has backed the Gunners to secure all three points against the Cherries, predicting a 2-0 scoreline. Neville also highlighted Bournemouth's shortfalls in front of goal this season.

The former Manchester United defender said on The Overlap (as quoted by football.london):

"Two-nil to Arsenal. Up until the weekend, [Bournemouth] had I think only 10 shots on target."

Mikel Arteta's side have had a decent start to the 2023/24 Premier League campaign by their standards. The North London outfit are fifth in the standings after securing four wins and two draws in their first six encounters in the English top tier this season.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, are winless from the first six games in the league, having drawn three and lost the remaining games. Arsenal find themselves already four points behind Manchester City, who sit atop the league table, certainly not the start they wanted to this season's title race.

The Gunners lost out on the chance to end their 19-year wait for a Premier League title last season. Arteta's men had an exceptional campaign, maintaining their position at the top of the league for quite some time. However, they slipped up in April, suffering a string of losses, paving the way for Manchester City to defend their crown.

However, the Gunners did not have a bad season by any standards, securing a spot in the UEFA Champions League after their six-year absence from the tournament.

Arsenal have returned to European football in emphatic fashion this season, securing a 4-0 win over PSV in their group-stage encounter earlier this month.

"You give them support" - Mikel Arteta explains how to 'get the best' out of Arsenal star amid poor form

Arsenal signed Kai Havertz from Chelsea this summer for £65 million. The German international has so far failed to impress at the Emirates and has not been received well by Gunners fans.

The former Bayer Leverkusen star had a sub-par pre-season this summer. He is yet to register a goal contribution this season after nine appearances across all competitions for the North London outfit.

As a result, Havertz has received criticism from many for his performances. When asked how to maximize the German forward's potential, Arteta insisted that he must be given the necessary support and time to adjust to life at Arsenal.

He said ahead of this weekend's fixture against Bournemouth (per the club's official website):

"Try to help him as much as possible. Be next to him, give him the tools, give him the confidence and give him the minutes to exploit his talent. There are so many parts of his game that he's doing exceptionally well and we know the one that needs to keep improving."

The former Barcelona B midfielder added:

"But as always, with any player, it’s about giving support - especially when you see a player that does what he does every single day and the way he tries, the way he applies himself. You give them support and more tools and if they don't perform, it's because of us."