Arsenal cannot afford to drop

The game will be played at St Mary’s Stadium and the hosts begin the weekend in 14th place on 36 points while the visitors are in 5th place on 54 points.

Southampton come into the match on the back of a hugely disappointing 6-0 home defeat at the hands of Chelsea last weekend. The Saints were 4-0 down at half time and things did not improve much in the second half as Southampton conceded an additional two goals.

That result means Southampton have failed to win any of their six most recent matches, five of which have come in the Premier League.

They have lost five of those six games, with the defeats coming against Newcastle United, Watford, and Chelsea at home plus Aston Villa away in the Premier League.

Southampton were also defeated by Manchester City in the FA Cup and the only game of their last 6 in which they avoided defeat came at Leeds United in the Premier League, which finished 1-1.

They have managed to find the back of the net in 15 of their last 16 home fixtures in all competitions but Southampton have conceded two or more goals in each of their last four.

Arsenal make the trip to St Mary’s Stadium having suffered a setback last weekend in their bid to finish in the top four this season.

The Gunner lost 2-1 at home against Brighton, which was a poor result and that means they are now three points adrift of rivals Tottenham Hotspur but Arsenal do have a game in hand.

Prior to the loss at home against Brighton, Arsenal lost 3-0 at Crystal Palace and they cannot afford a similar performance in this game because the top four could quickly become out of reach.

Away form in the Premier League shows Arsenal have won five of their last six matches. The victories have come at Leeds United, Norwich City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Watford, and Aston Villa.

Trends show Arsenal are undefeated in 21 of their last 24 games against Southampton in the Premier League and have managed to score 1 or more goals in their last 11 matches against The Saints.

Arsenal cannot afford to drop

Team news and Southampton could be without striker Armando Broja due to personal reasons. They also have doubts over the fitness of Shane Long, Lyanco Vojnovic, and Alex McCarthy.

Arsenal are expected to be without the injured trio of Thomas Partey, Kieran Tierney, and Takehiro Tomiyasu. They also have doubts over the fitness of Emile Smith-Rowe.