The pressure is starting to heat up for the race to a top four finish as Arsenal look to put last week behind them against an out-of-form Southampton side. The Gunners still have a game-in-hand over arch-rivals Tottenham Hotpsur but are still three points behind them after back-to-back defeats gifted Antonio Conte's side fourth.
The Gunners are the favourites for the trip down south at 10/11 with Betfred while Southampton are 11/4 and a draw is 13/5. A win here is the absolute minimum if Mikel Arteta is to achieve Champions League football and with Spurs playing in the early kick-off, the pressure could be turned up even more if the result does not go the Spaniard's way.
As things stand, the Gunners can afford another bad day at the office but that will not be the mentality many will not accept as they look to bring Champions League to the Emirates Stadium since the 2016/17 season. The game in hand is the safety net they have at the business end of the season and the huge six pointer that is the North London Derby will be pivotal to their season.
READ MORE: Arsenal's 'next Yaya Toure' sends Mikel Arteta strong message ahead of Southampton clash
For Southampton, they have very little to play for but will want to see a lot more given what fans saw at the St Mary's Stadium last week. A dismal performance saw them slump to a 6-0 defeat and gave a sign that many of the players' minds were elsewhere.
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Tips
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Team stats
Both teams in matches involving Arsenal have scored in 11 out of 30 Premier League games this season while for Southampton it is 19 from 30. Both teams to score is 8/11.
The Gunners have finished 16 Premier League matches with three or more total goals while for Southampton it is 17 league games. Over 2.5 goals is 4/5.
Players to watch
Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli found the net in last week's match against Brighton but the latter's was overruled for offside thanks to VAR. The Danish midfielder had a difficult shift in midfield but still created chances for his teammates before taking it upon himself to get a late consolation goal.
H2H
This will be the 104th meeting between the two sides with Arsenal picking up 53 wins, 28 draws and 22 defeats against the Saints in all competitions. This weekend will be the 90th league meeting with Arsenal achieving 45 wins, 25 draws and suffering 19 losses in that time.
Arsenal have only picked up one league defeat against the Southampton in 12 outings.
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