Arsenal vs Southampton Premier League preview: How to watch, lineups, Arteta pressure & prediction

Next up on the biweekly installment of ‘must-win’ game for Arsenal in the Premier League is a home visit of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton on Saturday. Here is the match preview.

Preparing for two away games against sides with dreadful records behind them, Arsenal could have moved eight points ahead of Manchester United and then gone two points clear of West Ham if they’d have secured the six points that were there for the taking.

That’s why the last two defeats have been so hard to swallow: because Arsenal have gifted their opponents wins and their own get out of jail free cards.

Any side facing any sort of adversity or dismay need only invite Arsenal over for a game of football to set their own record straight. It’s as if this team is an agony aunt for hire that comes over to shoulder other clubs’ burdens and lift their glum moods.

Arsenal vs Southampton preview: Premier League clash sees Mikel Arteta under huge pressure from supporters after Everton defeat

While the inquest over just how atrocious the performance at Everton was has been rumbling on in the background, there is not a great deal of use crying over this particular spilled milk. Even if it’s the same milk you’ve spilled before and put back into the carton and is now starting to smell funny.

The good thing, which can also be a bad thing, is that the games come thick and fast over December so there is no time to take a mope around the training pitch. Southampton make the journey to the capital for a three o’clock kick-off and home form suggests Arsenal should do well.

As appalling as the side have been on the road, their form at the Emirates is third best in the Premier League this season, ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. Meanwhile, if judged on away results only, Arsenal would be 11th in the table.

Naturally, the quality of opposition will be mentioned: Chelsea, Norwich, Tottenham, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Watford and Newcastle. The Blues inflicted the only defeat on the Gunners and the other two ‘stronger’ sides in that group sacked their managers shortly after.

Looking at Hasenhuttl’s men, they’ve won only one of their seven games on the road this term and are sorely lacking in goals, even more so than Arsenal. Netting just 14, they’re also winless in their previous four and sit in 16th ahead of the meeting.

Another welcome fixture for Arsenal to bounce back immediately from? You’d like to hope so.

How to Watch on TV

When Is Kick Off? Saturday 11 December
What Time Is Kick Off? 15:00 (GMT)
Where Is it Played? Emirates Stadium
TV Channel/Live Stream? Not on TV (UK) fuboTV (USA)
Referee? Jarred Gillett

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