Arsenal vs Southampton
Date: 16/12/2020
K/O: 18:00
Venue: Emirates Stadium
Referee: Paul Tierney
TV: Prime Video
Arsenal’s testing period shows no sign of letting up as they welcome in-form Southampton to the Emirates on Wednesday evening.
Only Sheffield United (1) have picked up fewer points than the Gunners (4) over the last eight matches, while only Spurs (18) have won more than Southampton (17). Sunday’s home loss against Burnley was Arsenal’s seventh of the season after just 12 games, while they have only scored one non-penalty Premier League goal since October’s international break.
Life is far happier on the south coast however and Saints will travel to North London looking to maintain their momentum as they target European football. Both sides could make changes for their first midweek Premier League fixture of 2020/21, with several of Arsenal’s Europa League regulars pressing for starts.
Team News
Arsenal
Granit Xhaka and Hector Bellerín will miss the game through suspension. Xhaka begins a three-match spell on the sidelines following his dismissal for violent conduct while Bellerín picked up his fifth yellow card of the season and will miss one game. Bernd Leno is expected to continue in goal, though Arsenal will make at least one change in defence with Hector Bellerín definitely out. Gabriel, Rob Holding and Kieran Tierney also started against the Clarets but could be rotated out as the Gunners enter the busy festive season.
David Luiz and Sead Kolašinac are both approaching fitness and could feature, while Shkodran Mustafi, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Calum Chambers and Pablo Marí are fit and could be recalled across the backline. Forgotten men Cédric Soares and William Saliba are also available but appear to be out of Mikel Arteta’s plans in the short term, while Sokratis Papastathopoulos was not included in the Gunners 25-man Premier League squad.
Xhaka’s suspension and Thomas Partey’s injury woes mean Dani Ceballos is likely to return to partner Mohamed Elneny in midfield, though Maitland-Niles, Joe Willock and Emile Smith Rowe remain in contention. Reiss Nelson has impressed in the Europa League and could feature on either wing, while Nicolas Pépé has served his suspension and could immediately return. Gabriel Martinelli is also closing in on a comeback after a long spell on the sidelines and will likely feature in the next few weeks.
The likes of Willian and Bukayo Saka have offered little end product in recent weeks and could make way, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang likely to retain his place either on the left-wing or upfront. Alexandre Lacazette’s struggles in front of goal remain and the Frenchman could be replaced by Eddie Nketiah or Folarin Balogun, both young Englishmen finding the net in Europe last Thursday.
Southampton
In stark contrast to Arsenal, Southampton are looking to maintain their momentum as they target European football next season. Ralph Hasenhuttl rarely tinkers with his starting XI but could be tempted for the trip to Emirates Stadium and their first midweek game of the campaign.
Saints have fielded the established back four of Kyle Walker-Peters, Jan Bednarek, Jannik Vestergaard and Ryan Bertrand in all but one of their matches since game week two, during which time they have dropped only seven league points.
Jack Stephens could deputise if Hasenhuttl opts to rest one of his regulars, while summer signing Mohammed Salisu has featured in matchday squads recently and could make his first league appearance. Yan Valery is also yet to appear this season but could come in if Kyle Walker-Peters is given a rest.
James Ward-Prowse will captain the side from midfield alongside regular partner Oriol Romeu, though Hasenhuttl faces a headache as he selects his other midfielders from the likes of Stuart Armstrong, Theo Walcott, Moussa Djenepo, Nathan Redmond and Ibrahima Diallo. Danny Ings may be rested as he eases his way back into action following a month on the sidelines, with Walcott, Michael Obafemi, Shane Long and Daniel N’Lundulu in contention to partner Ché Adams if so.
Records and Stats
- All-time H2H: Arsenal 51-21 Southampton (27 draws)
- Last 10 H2H: Arsenal 6-2 Southampton (2 draws)
- Since Mikel Arteta took over as Arsenal manager in December 2019, the Gunners have received six Premier League red cards. No other club has received more than three in that time.
- In 2020, only three players have scored four or more Premier League goals from outside the box, all Southampton players: Danny Ings, James Ward-Prowse and Stuart Armstrong.
- In all competitions, Mikel Arteta (55.1%) has the third-highest win ratio of any permanent manager in Arsenal’s history, behind only Unai Emery (55.13%) and Arsene Wenger (57.25%)
Predicted Starting XIs
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Leno; Maitland-Niles, Gabriel, Luiz, Tierney; Elneny, Ceballos; Pépé, Saka, Aubameyang; Nketiah
Southampton (4-2-2-2): McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Vestergaard, Bertrand; Ward-Prowse, Romeu; Armstrong, Walcott; Adams, Ings
Score Prediction: Arsenal 0-1 Southampton
Arsenal were the better side on Sunday until their red card but another failure to score did not come as a surprise. Southampton have been organised and intense and will travel in a confident mood. The form says this one will go the way of Saints but with Arsenal fighting for the future of Mikel Arteta, you can’t write them off.
