Arsenal vs Southampton Preview
Watch Arsenal vs Southampton preview, as Arsenal welcomes Southampton in the premier league r-premises at Emirates stadium in today meetings.
As Arsenal tops the points table of the premier league, Southampton is on the bottom of the points table. The Gunners have dropped points in their last two league matches, which has allowed second-placed Manchester City to close the gap to four points with a game in hand.
Arsenal’s title charge has been halted somewhat in their last two matches, dropping points against both Liverpool and West Ham United despite being two goals ahead in the two games at Anfield and the London Stadium respectively.
Indeed, Mikel Arteta‘s side were 2-0 ahead against Liverpool inside 28 minutes on April 4 before being forced to share the spoils, while they opened up a two-goal lead over West Ham last weekend before Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen netted to level the scores in the English capital.
Arsenal’s lead at the summit is four points over second-placed Man City, who have a game in hand, so they will be bidding to move seven points clear of the English champions on Friday night.
The top two will meet in a gigantic clash at the Etihad Stadium next Wednesday, meaning that there is no room for error in this game for Arteta’s team, who have won 23, drawn five and lost three of their 31 league matches during an excellent campaign.
Arsenal – bidding to win their first Premier League title since 2004 – have the second-best home record in the league this term, picking up 38 points from 15 matches, but they will be welcoming a Southampton side that have been better on their travels than in front of their own fans.
Team News and Injury
Arsenal will again be without the services of Mohamed Elneny and Takehiro Tomiyasu on Friday due to injuries, while William Saliba is likely to remain on the sidelines with a back complaint.
There is no clear return date for Saliba at this stage, but the Frenchman is set to miss out once again against the Saints, with Rob Holding continuing in the middle of the defence.
Oleksandr Zinchenko could return from a muscular problem, though, with the Ukraine international expected to replace Kieran Tierney in the starting side on Friday night.
There are not expected to be any surprises when it comes to the spots in midfield or the final third of the field, with Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka supporting Gabriel Jesus in attack.
As for Southampton, Ainsley Maitland-Niles is not eligible against his parent club, while Juan Larios, Valentino Livramento, Mislav Orsic and Mohammed Salisu remain unavailable through injury.
Che Adams could return from a calf issue, but the Scotland international is unlikely to start, with Paul Onuachu potentially being introduced in the final third of the field.
Moussa Djenepo could also come in for a starting role in a wide area, with Theo Walcott potentially dropping down to the bench against his former club, while Romain Perraud is likely to take the spot of Maitland-Niles.
Arsenal vs Southampton Head-to-head stats
Arsenal have an impressive historical record against Southampton and have won 53 out of the 105 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Southampton’s 23 victories.
Arsenal are unbeaten in their 23 matches at home against Southampton in the Premier League – the most any team has managed against another team in the competition.
Southampton held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture and are one of only three teams that remain unbeaten against the Gunners in the Premier League this season.
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 27 matches at home against Southampton in the league – they have a better record in this regard only against Fulham in the competition.
This is the first meeting between Arsenal and Southampton in the Premier League on a Friday – the Gunners have defeated the Saints on the other six days of the week in the competition.
Arsenal vs Southampton prediction
Arsenal have been in impressive form in recent weeks and remain the frontrunners in the Premier League title race. The Gunners have stuttered in recent weeks and will need to make a statement of intent in this fixture.
Southampton have troubled Arsenal in the past but have a particularly poor record at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal are the better team at the moment and hold a definitive upper hand going into this game.
