Southampton vs Arsenal Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Southampton:
McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Stephens, Bertrand; Walcott, Diallo, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong; Ings, Adams
Arsenal:
Leno; Bellerin, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Smith Rowe, Aubameyang; Lacazette
Southampton welcome Arsenal at the St Mary's for the second time in just three days, now in the Premier League. The Saints were more successful in the FA Cup and managed to win 1:0 during the weekend. I believe it was a painful defeat for the cup holders, even Arteta rested some of his key players. But now is different, he will go with the best eleven, this is a very important match as the Gunners could overtake Southampton in the standings. The Saints are sharing the 8th place with two other teams - Aston Villa and Chelsea. They all have 29 points, but a victory here could see Southampton getting closer to the European spots. It is clear the hosts will enter the match fully motivated. The actual form is mixed, they have one win, one draw and one defeat on the last three matches in the Premier League. The Saints beat Liverpool with 1:0 thanks to Danny Ings' goal, shared the points with West Ham playing a goalless draw, while lost 2:0 to Leicester City 10 days ago. Hasenhuttl's men dominated in the opening stages and created several good opportunities, Stuart Armstrong even hit the bar, but James Maddison and Harvey Barnes secured a 2:0 win for the Foxes. Southampton were handicapped on that match as they were without Danny Ings after he was tested positive for Covid-19 last week. Ings, the club leading scorer with 7 goals, is available for this match, but seven other players are struggling with injuries - Jannik Vestergaard, Nathan Redmond, Michael Obafemi, Moussa Djenepo, William Smallbone, Mohammed Salisu and Nathan Tella are sidelined, while Oriol Romeu is rated as doubtful.
As I wrote above, this is a very important match for Arsenal too. A possible victory could see them climbing on the table, maybe even on the eighth place if results go their way. I believe the players will give their maximum. The actual form is excellent, they have four victories and one draw on the last five matches in the Premier League. The series started against title pretenders Chelsea. Arsenal outplayed the city rivals and won 3:1 thanks to goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Granit Xhaka and Bukayo Saka. In the next two matches they registered two victories. The Gunners won 1:0 against Brighton and 4:0 against West Bromwich. The winning series was temporary stopped by Crystal Palace. Arsenal were big favorites on that match, though the Eagles remained unbeaten at the Emirats. The Gunners had the possession, created some good chances, but failed to score and the match finished with a goalless draw. In the last round the North London outfit won 3:0 against Newcastle. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the 'Player of the Match' after scored the first two goals in his 400th club appearance in European League football. The Gabonese international so far have played for six clubs: Arsenal 102 matches, Borussia Dortmund 144, St Etienne 87, Monaco 19, Lille 14 and Dijon 34 games. Aubameyang, who has scored 29 goals in all competitions last season, looked out of form in the current season. This brace took his league total to five for the campaign and the fans are pleased to see him in good form. The atmosphere in the squad is very good, while the players confidence is higher. Aubameyang didn't play in the FA Cup match against Southampton, but should lead the line here. Dani Ceballos is struggling with a calf problem and he is rated as doubtful, while Pablo Mari is definitely sidelined.
Southampton vs Arsenal Prediction:
I expect a low scoring match at St Mary's Stadium. Southampton are in series of six league matches that ended with Under 2.5 goals. Arsenal, meanwhile, have kept four consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League for the first time since February 2009. It is true they lost from the same opponents in the FA Cup, but Arteta rested his key players on that match. I expect a tight match on Tuesday night and no more than two goals.
Southampton vs Arsenal Pick: Under 2.5 goals @ 1.90 with Bet365