Arsene Wenger’s men were a little unfortunate to succumb to defeat by United last time out, although a combination of shoddy defending and poor finishing proved fatal at the Emirates Stadium. The north Londoners fell 2-0 behind in the opening 11 minutes, with the Red Devils’ high pressing tactics bearing fruit against a backline who looked strangely unsure of themselves in possession; from that point on, though, Arsene Wenger’s charges performed brilliantly but were unable to take enough of their chances to get back into the game. A stellar performance from David de Gea was part of the reason for that, but Arsenal will still look to take the positives from their overall display, particularly as it was followed up by a 6-0 thrashing of BATE Borisov in the Europa League on Thursday night.
Southampton were held to a 1-1 draw when they last took to the field in a south coast derby with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. It was a fair result after an even game between the two sides, with the stalemate rounding off a promising week for Mauricio Pellegrino’s men, who beat Everton 4-1 and narrowly lost 2-1 to Manchester City in their previous two outings. Despite that, Saints have still only won four Premier League matches so far this term, while their tally of 15 goals in 15 encounters is evidence of their difficulties going forward; there is, then, still plenty of work to do if Pellegrino is to guide Southampton to another top-half finish this year.
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Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi is a doubt with a thigh strain this weekend, while Santi Cazorla is a long-term absentee. Per Mertesacker could be the man to slot in alongside Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal at the back in Mustafi’s absence, but Wenger is likely to otherwise stick with the same team which began the defeat by United last weekend. That would mean Granit Xhaka and the in-form Aaron Ramsey resuming their partnership in the centre of midfield, with Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette forming a fearsome front three at the top of the pitch. Elsewhere, Sead Kolasinac and Hector Bellerin will look to provide attacking thrust from wing-back, with the former particularly productive in terms of creating and converting chances so far this term.
Southampton will hope to have Cedric Soares (hamstring) and Shane Long (calf) available for selection, but both men may require late fitness tests. Austin looks set to lead the line once more following his recent exploits in front of goal, while Wesley Hoedt should keep his place alongside Virgil van Dijk in the heart of the defence despite some shaky moments in Saints’ last few games. Pellegrino’s priority will be to make life difficult for Arsenal this weekend, but he must ensure his side provide enough of an attacking threat against opponents who are not always the most defensively secure.
Taking everything into account, it could be worth backing a narrow Arsenal triumph in this one. Southampton have struggled for goals for much of the season and the Gunners have been in excellent form, even if they were not able to continue their unbeaten run against Manchester United last time out. An away win to nil is one option worth considering for Sunday’s early kick-off, while Lacazette to open the scoring is another wager which could bring success.
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