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Arsenal kick-off the next round of Premier League fixtures when they welcome struggling Southampton to the Emirates Stadium on Friday night.
The Gunners have started dropping points at the worst time, having let 2-0 leads slip in each of their last two games against Liverpool and West Ham. That has allowed Manchester City to cut the gap at the top of the table to just four points with a game in hand.
So Arsenal have the chance to extend that to seven until they meet each other at the Etihad Stadium next week – City are in action in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend instead.
As for Southampton, the situation looks bleak at the bottom of the table. The Saints are four points from safety and face relegation to the Championship for the first time since their 2012 promotion if things don’t turn around soon.
Arsenal vs Southampton H2H Results (Last Five Games)
Current Premier League Form (Last Five Games)
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Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
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UK |
Sky Sports Main Event/Premier League |
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United States |
USA Network, Universo, fuboTV, Sling Blue, Sling Latino |
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Canada |
fuboTV |
Arsenal team news
William Saliba is getting closer to a return by may not be risked just yet. Oleksandr Zinchenko could be back after missing out against West Ham, but Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny are both out for the season.
Current Premier League table, top scorers & upcoming fixtures
Arsenal predicted lineup vs Leeds (4-3-3): Ramsdale; White, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Odegaard, Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.
Southampton team news
Ainsley Maitland-Niles is ineligible against his parent club, while Che Adams, Mohammed Salisu and Mislav Orsic all remain doubts for this one.
Southampton predicted lineup vs Arsenal (4-5-1): Bazunu; Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Bella-Kotchap, Perraud; Walcott, Lavia, Ward-Prowse, S. Armstrong, Elyounoussi; Mara.
Southampton’s recent record against Arsenal is more than respectable, having beaten the Gunners at St Mary’s this time last year and held the league leaders to a draw on the south coast in October.
But the last time these teams met in London, Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 win. Southampton are without a win in six Premier League games, have only won six times in the league this season, while no team has lost more often – 65% of their league matches have ended in defeat.
If Arsenal cannot get a win here, they may as well let Manchester City have the trophy now.
Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Southampton
