Southampton vs Arsenal
Southampton and Arsenal are set to square off for the second time in the space of a few days at St. Mary’s. Saints ended the Gunners’ reign as FA Cup champions with a 1-0 victory in their first meeting over the weekend.
Mikel Arteta’s men will now seek revenge over Saints as they clash in the Premier League in midweek. After making several changes to his side in the cup, Arteta will surely have his strongest XI back as the Gunners look to resume their impressive run in the league.
Talking Points
Southampton suddenly resurgent
After going through a rough patch of form during the festive period, Southampton are suddenly getting back to winning ways. They have now won three of their last four games after beating Arsenal in the cup, with all three wins coming at home.
Saints were still missing a number of injured starters – centre-back Jannik Vestergaard, defensive midfielder Oriol Romeu, and winger Nathan Redmond — in their cup win over the Gunners. But they did welcome back top scorer Danny Ings after his recent bout of Covid.
The 28-year-old is having another fine season with 7 goals and 3 assists in 13 Premier League appearances. He scored the lone goal as Saints defied the Premier League 2021 betting odds and beat champions Liverpool, 1-0.
Romeu wasn’t quite ready to make his return over the weekend, but a few more days should be enough time for him to get back into the side after his recent extended layoff.
Romeu’s return should provide a boost to Southampton’s defence, which has been particularly strong at home. They have conceded just 9 goals in 9 league games at St. Mary’s this season. Moreover, they’ve kept 8 clean sheets in their last 10 home games in all competitions.
Gunners getting back to their best
Arsenal’s impressive run of six matches unbeaten in all competitions finally came to an end as they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Southampton.
Mikel Arteta opted to field a significantly rotated side that was without key starters in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Emile Smith Rowe, who both scored in their third-round win over Newcastle, as well as left-back Kieran Tierney. Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka and Alexandre Lacazette only came on as second-half substitutes.
However, all five are likely to return to the starting line-up as the Gunners look to keep their impressive run of Premier League 2021 results alive. They are unbeaten in their last five league matches, with four wins and a draw.
Arsenal won their fourth game out of five after thrashing struggling Newcastle, 3-0. Aubameyang bagged a brace as he continues to rediscover his best form.
Arsenal are attempting to bolster their attack with the arrival of Real Madrid midfielder Martin Odegaard on loan. But the Arsenal attack has already been given a huge boost by young Emile Smith Rowe’s inclusion in the starting line-up, and the 20-year-old will be keen to continue his impressive form.
Meanwhile, David Luiz is likely to come in for Gabriel, who scored the own goal in the Southampton loss, and partner Rob Holding in the heart of Arsenal’s defence.
The Gunners’ backline has been looking quite solid of late. They’ve kept four clean sheets in a row and have conceded just one goal during their five-game unbeaten run.
History
Arsenal have beaten Southampton in 8 of their last 17 Premier League meetings. Saints have won on just 3 occasions and have held the Gunners to 6 draws.
Arsenal have lost just once in their last 10 matches against the Saints and are unbeaten in their last four. They won 2-0 in their trip to Southampton last season.
However, Saints picked up a point at the Emirates in their first meeting this season in December. Theo Walcott scored against his old club to give Saints the lead before Aubameyang equalised. Arsenal were then down to 10 men for the last half-hour after Gabriel picked up a second yellow card.
Betting Tip
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Southampton vs Arsenal | 1X2 Draw @ 3.25 |
| January 27, 04:15 (GMT+8) |
SBOTOP odds have Arsenal as 2.28 favourites away from home. Southampton are priced at 3.05 to pick up a second win in a row, while a draw is 3.25.
Arsenal should be much more competitive with their first-choice side set to face Southampton in the league. But Saints are getting back to their best, and with Danny Ings they will be a major threat to pick up a goal or two.
Therefore, I foresee this rematch between Saints and the Gunners being a closely contested affair that will likely result in a draw.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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