It would be a fair observation that Arsenal have seen their form dip in the last week. Narrow 1-0 wins over both Bodo/Glimt and Leeds United masking somewhat lethargic displays compared to the high-octane performances against Tottenham and Liverpool.
Leeds in particular appeared to recognise that the Gunners had not had a full training session nor significant recovery since their trip to Norway and put them under serious pressure. Arsenal held on but again have Europa League action before playing again on Sunday.
Yet there are two potential boosts to Mikel Arteta’s outlook on the fitness of both his team and in comparison to his opponents. Firstly, with the game on Thursday being played at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal will be able to train as normal at least once before making the short trip down south to St Mary’s.
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PSV arrive to try and overtake their Premier League rivals to top spot in Group A. Arsenal know that a win here will give them a very high chance of finishing top of the group and avoiding a Round of 32 clash with a Champions League dropout.
This gives Arsenal the chance to win the group with a game to spare, offering crucial rest time ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge. Arsenal play FC Zurich at home in the final game of the group before facing Chelsea the following Sunday who play Dinamo Zagreb in their final UCL group stage game.
The second boost is that Southampton will not be going into the game with Arsenal on Sunday completely fresh like Leeds United before them. The Premier League has midweek action that the Gunners skipped through their rescheduled clash with PSV.
Southampton meanwhile travel to Bournemouth tonight for a south coast derby that has massive ramifications for both sides. Ralph Hasenhuttl remains under serious pressure with his side in 18th position in the league but can go within two points of The Cherries with a win.
With this a far more winnable match than their clash with Arsenal on Sunday, it is not unimaginable that the Saints might put greater weight and focus on this game than their clash with the league leaders.
How Arsenal might set up for the games could potentially be the least amount of change for the side so far. Arteta has made significant switches between the Premier League and Europa League games so far, but with the challenge of PSV coming to north London, the Spaniard might instead prefer to use much of their first eleven in back-to-back games.
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