With only 9 points after 16 rounds of the Premier League, Southampton are just a spot away from the bottom of the table. They desperately need points, but getting them this weekend is going to be difficult for the fact that they play against mighty Arsenal this Sunday. The only good thing for Soton is that the game is played at their turf, the St. Mary’s Stadium. Can the home crowd help them get some points? Find out in Southampton vs Arsenal prediction & betting tips!
Southampton
This team is among the biggest candidates for relegation. They were that even before the season started and their performances have proved the pundits right. Of course, there’s plenty of time left for them to salvage the season, but their recent form gives them no hope. This team has won only 2 points in the previous 5 rounds of the Premier League.
What gives them a little bit of hope is that they lost only 2 home games out of 7 games played this season so far. Unfortunately, they still haven’t won a single game on their turf. But, they did manage to get a draw against some teams from the top half of the table, most importantly Manchester United.
However, Manchester United haven’t been playing too well this season, at least not well as Arsenal. Furthermore, Soton have a kind of bad history against the Gunners, having lost 2 out of previous 3 games played at their turf. More problems come from the fact that Southampton have a couple of injured players, some of whom used to be very important for their form in the early stages of the season.
Arsenal
Arsenal are without a defeat since August, having won 10 out of 15 previous Premier League games. So, obviously, they’ve been in a fantastic form. And they’re planning to keep it that way. Right now, the Gunners have 34 points, which puts them on the 5th place. But, they can easily go a place or two higher this weekend, if Tottenham and Chelsea fail to win their next games.
This means that Arsenal won’t be lacking any motivation on Sunday afternoon. They’re traveling to the south coast to get all 3 points. The obvious question here is whether the fact that the game is played at Southampton’s ground can have an impact on Arsenal’s performance.
Well, this team has won 43 out of 7 away matches, in the league, 4 of which happened in the previous 6 rounds. And their last away match was the one against Manchester United, in which they had the lead twice, but still failed to get a win. I doubt such a scenario can happen this time, though.
The biggest worry for Arsenal is that they have some big problems in defense, where most of their center-backs are out. It seems that Koscielny will have to make his season’s debut in this match, playing in the back three with Monreal and Lichtsteiner, who usually play as full-backs.
Read also: Liverpool vs Manchester United Prediction and Betting Tips
Team News
Southampton absentees:
- Michael Obafemi (injury)
- Shane Long (injury)
- Cedric Soares (doubtful)
- Danny Ings (doubtful)
- Ryan Bertrand (doubtful)
Arsenal absentees:
- Danny Welbeck (injury)
- Sokratis (injury)
- Shkodran Mustafi (injury)
- Konstantinos Mavropanos (injury)
- Rob Holding (injury)
Possible Lineups
Southampton
McCarthy – Yoshida, Stephens, Vestergaard, Valery, Hoedt – Lemina, Hojbjerg, Redmond, Armstrong – Gabbiadini
Arsenal
Leno – Koscielny, Monreal, Lichtsteiner – Torreira, Xhaka, Ozil – Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang, Lacazette
Southampton vs Arsenal Prediction
Even though Arsenal have some serious problems at the back, I doubt Southampton can take advantage of that. They just aren’t good enough to hope for points here.
Southampton vs Arsenal Betting Tips
- Arsenal @1.99 (1XBet)
- Over 2.5 Goals @1.63 (1XBet)