After striking late against Preston in a 2-1 win in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, Arsenal go through to the next round of the competition. Arsene Wenger’s side will either play Southampton or Norwich in the 4th round, depending on how the replay later in the month goes, after a 2-2 draw at Carrow Road on Saturday.

With other cup contenders such as Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham drawing a lower league sides on their own turf, it is vital that Arsene Wenger’s side pass their tricky away tie to compete with these rivals.

Arsenal’s record against The Saints in recent times is not easy reading for Gunners fans, and seeing their side draw Southampton away was difficult to take. It’s safe to say, they were many other teams they would have wanted to be playing in the early stages of the competition.

However, there is nothing to be done about it, so, with that in mind, here is all you need to know about our potential 4th round opponents, the Saints…

 

Form

It has been a strange campaign for the fans at St. Mary’s so fair, with their season being very unpredictable. With Europa League football this season, the fans have had that competition to enjoy, but unfortunately for them, they were eliminated in the group stages.

The Saints have only lost three home games in the Premier League this season, so Arsenal know this fixture will be a difficult task.

The last five meetings between the two sides have seen Wenger’s side only win once, and scoring just two goals. Southampton have won three of the five games, whilst scoring eight goals. You could say Southampton are Arsenal’s “bogey” team.

Key Player

Since becoming a Premier League side once again, Southampton have been a solid side, with an excellent scouting system. Losing many of their “best” players to Premier League rivals, The Saints have had to be clever with their recruitment process and that’s exactly what they have been.

Virgil van Dijk is without doubt their key man this season. The Dutch centre-back has been exceptional since his switch from Celtic, and has caught many clubs eye after consistently performing for his team. It would be a very successful summer if Southampton somehow keep his services.

Manager

As well as many of their star players leaving, Southampton have also had a problem with their managers departing for other clubs too. Ronald Koeman, who was a fan favourite at St. Mary’s, left the club for the vacant position at Everton, whilst Mauricio Pochettino also left the club suddenly, for a switch at Tottenham.

The Saints are now managed by Claude Puel, after the Frenchman left Nice for a challenge in England. Puel has a 36% win record in all competitions with his new team, in thirty games.

The Frenchman, who’s biggest impact has been the signing of Sofiane Boufal, a tricky winger, for a club-record fee of £16m, worked under Arsene Wenger as a player during his time at Monaco.