Date: 26th January 2021 at 6:23pm
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Arsenal will travel to the St Mary’s stadium to face Southampton tonight in the Premier League.

The Gunners will be looking for revenge as they prepare to play a Saints side that confounded the Betiton IE odds and sent them crashing out of the FA Cup on Saturday, after beating them 1-0 to progress into the fifth round.

A Gabriel Magalhaes own goal was enough to separate the two teams, as a strong Southampton side dominated the game against a weakened Arsenal team.

The two mid-table sides will go kick-off at 8.15pm with Arsenal, who are 11th placed, looking to jump their opposition into the top half of the league table.

Arsenal’s resurgence in the Premier League continues to build momentum, having now gone five games unbeaten in the league. They have also only conceded one goal in those matches, keeping four clean sheets in their last five.

Following a commanding 3-0 victory over strugglers Newcastle United, manager Mikel Arteta and his side will be delighted that they are looking towards a European spot rather than relegation.

Southampton on the other hand, haven’t played in the Premier League for 10 days after their match against Leeds was postponed to allow for their FA Cup fixture against Shrewsbury.

They are coming off two wins in the FA Cup but have struggled for league form in recent weeks. The Saints, who are 10th, have won only one game in their last six and have scored only two goals in their previous seven league matches.

Team news

After scoring two goals against Newcastle in mid-week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was missing from Saturday’s Fa Cup squad due to “a personal issue.” Mikel Arteta is unsure when he will return and so he will likely miss this fixture.

Dani Ceballos’ remains doubtful with a calf injury and Pablo Mari will definitely be out, but Arteta will take comfort in the fact that there are no other major issues within his squad.

Gabriel Martinelli could make his third start in the Premier League this season in the absence of Arsenal captain Aubameyang. Thomas Partey, Bukayo Saka and Kieran Tierney should all return to the starting eleven as well.

Southampton on the other hand, will be missing both Ryan Bertrand and Kyle Walker-Peters, two players who have been in excellent form for the Saints this season.

Bertrand is serving a one-match ban while Walker-Peters is suffering from a minor quadriceps injury sustained in training this week. Hassenhuttl will be boosted by the return of Nathan Redmond however, following a groin problem.

Although both teams have played well defensively in recent weeks, this game promises more action compared to their dismal FA Cup match three days ago.

We can expect more goals in this game as both teams desperately need a win to climb further up the table and towards a European spot.

With Arsenal seeking vengeance over their South-coast opposition, Arteta will field a much stronger side with the objective of returning to London with three points later this evening.

 

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