Mikel Arteta says he will be the “biggest ever” Bournemouth fan when the Cherries face Manchester City on Tuesday.
Arsenal edged closer to their first Premier League title since 2003-04 with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Burnley on Monday.
Kai Havertz’s first-half header secured the win for Arteta’s side at Emirates Stadium, putting them five points ahead of City before the final round of fixtures.
City still have a game in hand — an away clash against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium — and Pep Guardiola’s men must claim victory to keep their title hopes alive.
Arteta confirmed he will be following City’s match against Bournemouth closely, although he has no plans to contact Cherries manager Andoni Iraola.
Asked whether he would support Bournemouth on Tuesday, Arteta replied: “The biggest ever.
“For Andoni [Iraola] and all the players, and all the people who are supporters of Bournemouth, I think we all are. We know that means, they get our support.
“I don’t think he [Iraola] needs it [a message]. What he’s done in that football club, the transformation, and what they are playing for, I don’t think they need anything else.
“When you look at how Burnley played today, the spirit that they showed, how difficult they made it, so imagine [on Tuesday].”
Since their 2-1 defeat to City, Arsenal have become the only team to win every match (4/4) while also remaining the only side yet to concede in the Premier League during that run.
The Gunners have recorded 32 clean sheets this season — six more than any other club across Europe’s top five leagues in all competitions.
Discussing Arsenal’s defensive strength, Arteta said: “I think the desire that every single player shows in their defensive duties, their behaviours, the way they work for each other is phenomenal.
“It’s a lot of work, put in by all the coaches as well, and we all know the importance of that and how many results and wins we have because of that.”
Burnley, meanwhile, suffered their 24th Premier League loss of the season, matching their highest number of league defeats in a single campaign, having also lost 24 matches in 2009-10 and 2023-24.
Still, the Clarets felt aggrieved after Kai Havertz escaped a red card for a reckless challenge on Loum Tchaouna.
Burnley interim manager Mike Jackson argued the referee should have dismissed Havertz instead of showing only a yellow card.
“In today’s game, it is a red card and it is dangerous,” Jackson told BBC Sport.
“He could have injured him as well. That means they go down to 10 with 20 minutes to go – we are still in the game.”
