Arsenal vs Southampton- Preview
Sep 9, 2016 at 1:52 PM
Arsenal are going into one of the most important fixtures of their season as they look for their first home win of their season. The Gunners are keen to clinch three points going up against a weak Southampton side who are yet to win a game in their opening three fixtures.
Arsenal have been accelerating in the season after a slow start to their season losing to Liverpool at their home in the season opener. They went against Premier League champions Leicester City and came away with a point before winning their first game of the season against Watford prior to the international break.
Arsene Wenger is keen to win the game against Southampton who has been struggling for form under new manager Claude Puel. Considering the fact that their title rivals Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea have kick-started their campaigns perfectly, Arsenal are under additional pressure as they already lag by five points at the start of the season.
New signings Lucas Perez and Shkodran Mustafi would give a much-needed boost to Arsenal’s defense and offense going into the game as Mustafi is expected to be a starter for tomorrow’s fixture.
The form of Granit Xhaka would yet again prove to be vital for Gunners’ playing style tomorrow as the Swiss international was at the heart of Arsenal’s play against Watford in their 3-1 win.
Meanwhile, Southampton who have been possession dominant under new coach Claude Puel is keen to take away at least a point from the fixture. The Saints have seen more of the ball than all Premier League clubs except Manchester City and Chelsea.
However, their form has been a cause of worry for the manager as they managed only two draws from their first three league games and have lost to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Probable squads
Arsenal: Petr Cech, David Ospina, Hector Bellerin, Shkodran Mustafi, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal, Kieran Gibbs, Rob Holding Granit Xhaka, Santi Cazorla, Theo Walcott, Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Francis Coquelin, Mohamad Elneny, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lucas Perez, Olivier Giroud
Southampton: Fraser Forster, Alex McCarthy, Cedric, Jose Fonte, Virgil van Dijk, Matt Targett, Ryan Bertrand, Maya Yoshida, Nathan Redmond, Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg, Steven Davis, Oriol Romeu, Jordi Clasie, James Ward-Prowse, Dusan Tadic, Shane Long, Charlie Austin, Jay Rodriguez
Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Southampton