Ahead of his team’s meeting with Arsenal on Saturday afternoon, new Southampton’s Sofiane Boufal has been ruled out of action for at least one month. This news will serve as a major boost to the Gunners who have had an indifferent start to the new Premier League season.
After being defeated by Liverpool on the opening of this season, Arsenal then drew with reigning Champions Leicester at the King Power Stadium. With just 1 point from their first two games, pressure was mounting on Arsene Wenger in the early stages.
However, after recording an easy win against Watford, the season looks to be back on track for the Gunners. However, with just 4 points in their opening 3 games of the season, Arsenal would have to improve if we are to challenge for the Premier League title this season.
While Wenger will be looking for positive news from inside their own camp, the injury to Sofiane Boufal has provided us with the most unlikely of boasts. With the former LOSC Lille man ruled out of this fixture, Arsenal would fancy their chances against a toothless Southampton side.
In addition to the injury to their main man, their transfer dealings in the previous summer has also weakened the confidence of the Saints’ faithful. With the likes of Graziano Pelle, Gaston Ramirez, Sadio Mane, and Victor Wanyama leaving the St. Mary’s, confidence has been at the lowest point among the Saints’ fans.
While they received more than 60-Million from the departures, a mere glance at the incomings suggests the Saints were able to capitalize on their funds. Apart from the acquisition of Boufal from Lille, Saints also signed another big name in Emile Hojberg from Bayern Munich.
However, unlike Boufal who will have an attacking threat, none of the other 6 signs which Saints made in the summer provide a decent attacking threat. Moreover, with the departure of Ronald Koeman to Everton, the entire structure of the club seems to have undergone a seismic change in the last 3 months.
Therefore, as evident by the above-mentioned factors, this game couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Saints. With the confidence among their fans at the lowest – in addition to just 2 points from the opening 3 games, it seems fair to suggest that the Gunners are going into this fixture as favorites.
Thus, if Arsenal could be able to play half as good as they played against Watford a fortnight ago, the Gunners should come out of this fixture with 3 points in the bag.