Premier League
Arsenal vs Southampton Preview
Emirates Stadium, London – Arsenal will be looking to climb back into the top four when they resume their Premier League campaign with a home match against strugglers Southampton on Sunday.
The Gunners needed to beat BATE Borisov on Thursday night after losing the first leg 1-0. Additionally, Unai Emery’s side secured a 3-0 win to reach the next stage of the competition.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side are winless in three, but the Saints beat Arsenal 3-2 at St Mary’s earlier this season and will be confident of giving the Gunners an open game in north London.
Previous Encounters:
- Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 23 home league games against Southampton (W17 D6) since a 0-1 loss in November 1987.
- Having won the reverse fixture, Southampton are looking to complete their first league double over Arsenal since the 1987-88 campaign.
View From Both Camps:
Unai Emery (Arsenal):
“Like all the teams in the Premier League, they are difficult and they will be preparing for this match with big players and also with time, and for us it is difficult.”
“We have respect for them but we need to impose our game-plan and quality and intensity. It is very important to get three points. ”
“We are playing at home with our supporters and I want to carry on stronger here, but with a big demand from ourselves to find a victory.”
Ralph Hasenhüttl (Southampton):
“We are focusing on the game against a difficult opponent, a very good opponent that we beat once already this year in a big game with a fantastic performance.”
“I’m not afraid about all the big teams because we showed against Chelsea and Arsenal that we can also play against these teams in good matches and we will need to, that’s for sure.”
“Every game is difficult but I think in the first game we showed that we can bring this surprising result.”
Team News:
Arsenal will be sweating on the fitness of Koscielny, However, striker Alexandre Lacazette is available after missing the Europa League victory through suspension.
Midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles will be hoping to overcome illness to be involved. Forward Danny Welbeck (ankle), right-back Hector Bellerin and defender Rob Holding (both knee) remain sidelined.
Mario Lemina and Danny Ings are out for Southampton with injuries. Stuart Armstrong and Michael Obafemi could be in contention.
Predicted Lineups:
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Leno; Maitland-Niles, Sokratis, Mustafi, Monreal; Torreira, Xhaka; Mkhitaryan,Ramsey, Aubameyang; Lacazette.
Southampton (3-5-2): McCarthy; Bednarek, Stephens, Vestergaard; Valery, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Hojbjerg, Bertrand; Long, Redmond.
Match Prediction:
On the same day that Man United face Liverpool in the Premier League and Chelsea meet Man City in the EFL Cup final, Arsenal’s fixture with Southampton has gone under the radar somewhat. Emery will want to get the job done in as efficient a manner as possible, and the hosts should encounter few problems against a Saints side embroiled in another relegation scrap.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Southampton
Follow us on YouTube and Twitter
Photo credit to Dickson Dagogo via Flickr
