Having opened up a four-point gap at the summit of the Premier League table, Mikel Arteta will take his relentless Arsenal side on a trip to St Mary’s to take on Southampton.
The Gunners are looking to record a ninth successive win across all competitions following their 1-0 victory over Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven in the Europa League courtesy of Granit Xhaka’s 76th-minute strike.
They only managed one goal against the Dutch outfit, but it could easily have been more. Arteta’s men dominated their opponents from start to finish, but the Spanish manager watched as his side spurned five big chances.
Their midweek performance was a stark contrast to their display against Leeds United, where Bukayo Saka’s first-half goal and a sturdy defensive display helped them escape with a narrow and dramatic 1-0 win.
Having ensured progress to the knockout rounds of the Europa League, the Gunners will now travel to St Mary’s, where under-fire Ralph Hasenhuttl’s out-of-sorts side will be waiting to welcome them.
After taking just one point from their previous five league games (D1, L4), the Saint recorded a much-needed 1-0 victory over Bournemouth to relieve some of the growing pressure on their Austrian manager.
It was by no means a dominating display from Southampton, but Che Adam’s goal inside the first ten minutes of the contest was enough to inflict Gary O’Neil’s first defeat as the Cherries boss.
Having no European commitments, the Saints will be the fresher of both sides, with the Gunners back in action just three days after their European triumph.
Fatigue is sure to take effect at one point or the other, but Arteta will bank on the quality and hunger of his team to avoid another defeat against the Saints on Sunday after falling to a 1-0 defeat on their last visit.
Hasenhuttl knows one win does not wipe the slate clean, despite the victory at the Vitality Stadium moving his side two points away from the relegation zone.
The 55-year-old will need to find a way to improve his side’s goal-scoring form, as they have found the back of the net just three times in their last six games, especially against an Arsenal side that has kept three clean sheets on the bounce.
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Southampton
Hasenhuttl’s side have gone seven top-flight home games without a clean sheet, and not since February this year have they picked up back-to-back wins in the Premier League.
Following their 1-0 win back in April, Southampton are looking to win consecutive Premier League matches against Arsenal for only a second time, doing so previously in January and December 2015.
After a 10-game unbeaten home run in the league between October 2021 and February 2022, Southampton have lost seven of their last 11 on home territory (W2, D2). However, their two wins in that run have come against London sides Arsenal in April and Chelsea in August.
A slice of history favouring the Saints is their unbeaten run against Arsenal when the Gunners are table toppers.
Southampton will host Arsenal in a league match, with the Gunners starting the day top of the table for only the third time ever, with Saints unbeaten in the previous two (W1, D1).
The Saints have also kept just one clean sheet in their last 11 Premier League home games while conceding 21 goals in that run. But the fact that the shut-out came against Sunday’s visitors will be a bit of a confidence booster.
Arsenal
The Gunners will be keen to build on their best-ever start to a top-flight campaign after amassing a massive nine wins from ten league games (L1).
However, St Mary’s has traditionally not been a happy hunting ground for the Gunners, who lost 1-0 on the south coast last term – their fifth defeat away to Southampton since January 2015.
On the plus side, Arteta has guided his side to two victories in their last three visits, and they did put three past Hasenhuttl’s side without a reply at the Emirates Stadium back in December.
Arsenal have kept more clean sheets (4) and conceded fewer goals (3) away from home than any other side in the league this term. They have also won four of their five league games on the road.
The Gunners have either won or lost each of their last 27 league games without recording a draw. Only four clubs have had a longer run in the competition’s history, including Bolton Wanderers (28 – 2011), Manchester City (31 – 2019) and (30 – 2021), and Tottenham Hotspur (32 – 2019).
The Gunners, being the only side in the league to have scored in every game to date, will be looking to inflict more damage on a Southampton side with the fewest clean sheets this term (1).
Southampton vs Arsenal Predicted Line-ups
Southampton (3-5-2): Gavin Bazunu; Lyanco, Mohammed Salisu, Duje Caleta-Car; Mohamed Elyounoussi, James Ward-Prowse, Stuart Armstrong, Ibrahima Diallo, Romain Perraud; Joe Aribo, Che Adams.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Aaron Ramsdale; Benjamin White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Takehiro Tomiyasu; Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey; Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli; Gabriel Jesus.
How to watch?
Southampton vs Arsenal, alongside all other fixtures in England’s top flight, is available to watch online via live Premier League streams.
Southampton vs Arsenal Prediction
The Gunners may be fatigued after a relentless run of games, but they should have enough in the tank to edge Hasenhuttl’s toothless Southampton.
Southampton 0-2 Arsenal
