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Arsenal will be thinking of taking revenge after being trashed by Southampton 0-4 back in December, but the Gunners also need to focus on the Premier League standings.
Arsenal failed to win any of the last three league matches, dropping to 3rd in the table, tied with Man City and three points behind Leicester. The 0-1 home defeat to Chelsea in the last round was particularly disappointing. The Gunners seem to be a bit off their game right now, even if they defeated Burnley in the FA Cup over the weekend, 2-1. However, the return of absolute key players like Sanchez and Coquelin will surely provide a boost for Wenger’s team.
Southampton is on a three match winning streak, defeating Watford, West Brom and Manchester United without conceding a single goal (6-0 goal difference). The Saints are definitely riding high right now and will be confident coming to Emirates after that heavy beating they handed Arsenal back in December. However, it remains to be seen if the visitors can keep up this kind of form, as they haven’t played too well prior to this three match winning streak and they were struggling in the bottom half of the table (now climbed to the 8th spot).
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Team news & lineups:
Coquelin and Alexis Sanchez came back as starters against Burnley, when Rosicky also returned (and re-injured himself) and Elneny made his debut. The Gunners haven`t been this healthy since the start of the seaosn. Wilshere, Welbeck, Cazorla and Rosicky are the only absentees for Wenger’s side. Southampton will have to do without Gardos, Davis and Rodriguez, while Pelle and Stekelenburg are questionable.
Arsenal: Cech – Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal – Coquelin, Ramsey – Walcott, Ozil, Sanchez – Giroud
Southampton: Forster – Cedric, Van Dijk, Fonte, Bertrand – Wanyama, Clasie – Tadic, Mane, Targett – Austin
Looking at the way Southampton demolished Arsenal less than 2 months ago and considering the short term form of the teams, the Saints seem to be in with a chance here. However, Arsenal has been solid all season and with all these players back in the lineup, I expect a good performance today – especially as anything other than a victory will really put a dent in Arsenal’s title chances.
Coquelin coming back is particularly important, as back in December Southampton was utterly dominant in midfield with the Frenchman missing. A buldog like Coquelin is exactly what Arsenal needs to turn the tables in its favor and the fact that they now also have the Elneny option will help even more.
This is a must win for the hosts and I expect them to claim the three points. The 0-4 December defeat should act as an extra motivator, guaranteeing that Arsenal will treat this match like one of the most important ones of the season. All in all, I think odds of ~ 1.85 are too high for the Gunners here and I will tip Arsenal to win. Prediction: Arsenal – Southampton 2-1.
Pick: Arsenal
Odds: 1.83 @ 1xBet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 6.64
Event date: 2 February
