Arsenal need a morale-boosting win on Thursday as Mikel Arteta takes his misfiring Gunners to face Southampton.
Arteta's side have lost their first two games since the restart of the Premier League season: the first was an understandable 3-0 loss at Manchester City, but a 2-1 defeat at Brighton has set alarm bells ringing.
The last thing Arteta needs is another setback on the south coast, but Ralph Hasenhuttl's Saints looked strong with a 3-0 win at Norwich on Friday, and have one of the League's in-form forwards in Dann Ings up against an injury-ravaged Arsenal defence.
Date, time and venue
Southampton vs Arsenal is scheduled for a kick-off time of 6pm BST at St Mary's on Thursday, June 25.
Team news
Where to start for Arsenal? David Luiz serves the last of a two-game ban while fellow defenders Pablo Mari (ankle), Calum Chambers (knee) and Cedric Soares (facial) miss out although Sokratis Papastathopoulos is fit following a thigh strain.
Bernd Leno and Gabriel Martinelli (both knee) are absent, as is Lucas Torreira (ankle), with Granit Xhaka (ankle) now available for selection.
Southampton forward Shane Long will be available after missing the Saints' win at Norwich through a muscle complaint.
Moussa Djenepo remains suspended for Southampton following his March sending off against Newcastle.
Southampton provisional squad: McCarthy, Gunn, Lewis, Walker-Peters, Valery, Vestergaard, Stephens, Bednarek, Danso, Bertrand, Vokins, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong, Hojbjerg, Smallbone, Boufal, Redmond, Tella, Long, Ings, Adams, Obafemi.
Arsenal provisional squad: Martinez, Macey, Bellerin, Sokratis, Holding, Mustafi, Kolasinac, Tierney, Xhaka, Guendouzi, Ceballos, Maitland-Niles, Willock, Ozil, Nelson, Pepe, Aubameyang, Lacazette, Nketiah.
Prediction: Southampton 1-1 Arsenal
The fact that just three points separate the two teams this season tells you how tough Arsenal have had it this year.
It would be no surprise to see either side pick up three points at St Mary's, and to be completely honest, Arsenal would do well to come away with a draw given their injury crisis at the back.
How to watch
TV channel: The match will be shown live on Sky Sports' Premier League and Main Event channels and is available via Now TV with a day pass for £9.99.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via SkyGo and the SkyGo app, with a mobile month pass available for £5.99.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Arsenal dominate this Premier League fixture historically, winning 22 of the 41 meetings.
The Saints have won seven and drawn 12, though drew 2-2 at the Emirates earlier this season.
Betting odds and tips
- Southampton to win: 7/4
- Arsenal to win: 9/5
- Draw: 13/5
- Danny Ings to score: 6/5
- 1-1 final score: 13/2
Odds courtesy of Betfair Exchange. Click here to find out more.
