Under fire coach Unai Emery is set to secure his position at the helm of the Gunners after a series of unimpressive performances. This will be put to the ultimate test with the end of the international break seeing Arsenal host Southampton at the Emirates Stadium with match scheduled for 23rd November with kickoff at 15:00 GMT.
Arsenal have their worst start to the Premier League since the past 30 years. This has seen the Gunners bottle a top four spot, currently at 6th place with 17 points. The Gunners have only managed to register only one win in their last past five encounters.
The poor form has caused a rip in the dressing room following the stripping of captaincy of Xhaka. Troubles also seems to be brewing following sentiments shared by captain Aubameyang on the state of the club.
Coach Raul Hasenhuttl is still trying to recover the team’s form following their heaviest home losses at the hand of Leicester City. Southampton are currently in the relegation zone with only 8 points. Hassenhuttl has failed to register a single win their past five encounters.
Arsenal vs. Southampton Head to Head
Both teams have met 18 times in their pas encounters with Arsenal emerging victories in 8 occasions with 5 games ending in a draw. Here is a look at both teams past encounters:
Arsenal 2-0 Southampton
Southampton 3-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 3-2 Southampton
Southampton 1-1 Arsenal
Southampton 0-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 2-1 Southampton
Arsenal 0-0 Southampton
Southampton 4-0 Arsenal
Arsenal Team News
Unai Emery will benefits with no injuries in the locker room with youngster Reiss Nelson back in action after netting the winning goal for England U23’s during the international break. After failing for a France team call-up, talisman Lacazette will be heading the attack after recovery from an ankle injury.
New captain Aubemayang who represented Gabon during the international break will be a doubt to feature. There still remains a cloud of doubt for the future of Swiss captain, Xhaka after being stripped off captaincy. Torreira will fill the void left with linkup with Guendozi. Loanee Cebaloos who suffered a hamstring injury is recuperating quickly.
Southampton Team News
Left back Sam McQueen continues to be sidelined after picking up a cruciate ligament fracture. Talisman Danny Ings is much underrated despite an impressive start even with the underperformance by the team. He currently has netted 7 goals with 1 assist.
Redmond is struggling to settle in this season with only a total of 2 goals. This is the same goal tally as attacking winger Moussa Djenepo. Defender Jannik Vestergaard remaisn at the heart of the Southampton’s defense.
Prediction and Odds
Both teams are under performing hence it would not be a captivating match. However, with the international break, both teams can bounce back to winning ways. Southampton has the worst goal difference in the Premier League.
Arsenal win – 1.56
Draw – 4.74
Goals Under 2.5 – 2.47
Aubameyang to Score – 1.7
