Prediction: Arsenal vs Southampton

Prediction: Arsenal win

Best Odds: 1/2

Bookmaker: bet365

The Premier League returns this weekend following a brief hiatus courtesy of the FA Cup. One of the more intriguing games of the weekend will take place between Arsenal and Southampton, both of whom have very different aspirations for the rest of the season. The Gunners lead 49-21 in the overall head to head standings between the two Premier League regulars with 26 draws, but in their last meeting back in December, the Saints were able to pull off the upset and register an impressive 3-2 victory.

Arsenal

The Gunners’ win in the Europa League earlier in the week will certainly give them a nice boost ahead of this tie, but in truth, they shouldn’t really need any added motivation. With Chelsea playing in the League Cup Final and Manchester United coming up against Liverpool, this weekend serves as a huge opportunity for the Gunners to put themselves in pole position in the top four race. Of course, the Saints were the team who ended their unbeaten run just a few months ago, so they can’t afford to take them lightly.

Team News

Koscielny picked up an injury against BATE and may not feature, although Maitland-Niles is expected to return after missing out during the week. Ozil is expected to drop back to the bench.

Southampton

Southampton have certainly experienced a decline in recent years, after going from Europa League participants to relegation strugglers. They were able to fend off the drop last season but we aren’t sure they’ll be so lucky this time around – although their shining light is that there’s a lot of inconsistency in the teams around them. They’ve got a few match winners in their squad but you have to question whether or not that’ll be enough, especially when they come up against a team as top heavy as Arsenal.

Team News

Mario Lemina hasn’t been training which leads many to believe he still won’t be fit for this one, although Stuart Armstrong is training once again and should play some kind of role on Sunday.

Factors to Consider

• The game will be played at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.
• Arsenal have won three and lost three of their last six games.
• Southampton have won two, drawn three and lost one of their last six games.
• Arsenal have scored nine goals and conceded nine in their last six games.
• Southampton have scored nine goals and conceded eight in their last six games.

Conclusion

While this may be viewed as the kind of game Arsenal have been known to lose in the past, we don’t think they’ll struggle all too much here. They tend to play pretty well at the Emirates regardless of the quality of their opponent, and we think that’ll be true of the game against Southampton. The Saints don’t really have all too much to scream and shout about throughout the core of their squad, and we can’t imagine they’ll be capable of ruffling any feathers in this one.

Prediction: Arsenal win

Best Odds: 1/2

Bookmaker: bet365