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Best of British: This key battle could decide Arsenal vs Bournemouth – opinion

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Arsenal will host Bournemouth in their next Premier League game after another week of Europa League action for the Gunners. The battle on Sunday between Kieran Tierney and Harry Wilson could have a significant impact on the final score.

Wilson, 22, has been one of the Cherries’ outstanding performers and has proved to be a threat in open play as well as set pieces. After Bournemouth have picked up three wins in their first seven Premier League games, their strong start could mean that they will go level with the Gunners’ on points or move ahead of them if Sunday’s result goes the visitors’ way.

With Wilson having a blistering start to life on the south coast and Tierney returning from injury, it’s a big test for the former Celtic defender to contend with.

Attack vs attack

The Wales international has had an impressive start for the Cherries this campaign, scoring three goals in all competitions. On loan from Liverpool, he is starting to showcase his talent on the biggest stage after a successful loan spell at Derby last season. With a goal tally of 16 and an average of 2.6 shots per game at Pride Park, Wilson will be a handful for most Premier League defenders to face.

With the Scotland international returning from injury and missing the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers as a precaution, Unai Emery will hope his fit-again fullback can solve his defensive headache. After conceding 12 goals in all competitions this season, it’s an issue that the manager feels that Tierney can help rectify.

If Tierney plays as he did against Standard Liege on Thursday, this could influence Wilson to focus more on his defensive responsibilities to help his fullback during the game. Eliminating any attacking threat will certainly give the home side a great advantage.

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