Arsenal – Southampton

Arsenal will take on Southampton on Sunday in the Premier League, and the visitors will be the more motivated side coming into this clash.

Arsenal is 6th in the Premier League and doesn`t have much left to fight for in the competition, as they can`t do better than the 5th place and can`t do worse than the 7th place. Their main focus is Europa League and they have just demolished CSKA Moscow 4-1 in the first leg of the quarterfinals on Thursday. However, Arsenal has been in very good form in the Premier League as well recently. Overall, the Gunners have won 5 games in a row in all competitions coming into this clash, all of them by 2 or more goals.

Southampton is on the 18th place in the standings and relegation is a real possibility. The Saints are 3 points off safety, but they have two games in hand compared to most of their rivals, so that is something they can cling to for hope. However, they need to improve their form if they are to stand any chance of surviving. Southampton has won just one game in the Premier League since November (!!), and that was back in February against the last placed West Brom. The Saints have been horrific in their last two PL games, losing 0-3 against both Newcastle and West Ham. They did qualify in the FA Cup semifinals though, beating Wigan in the quarters.

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Team news & lineups:

Arsenal will only miss Cazorla, Mkhitaryan and Ospina. There might be some small time rotation given their Europa League duties, but nothing major. Southampton has a full squad available.

Arsenal: Cech – Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Kolasinac – Wilshere, Elneny – Iwobi, Ozil, Welbeck – Aubameyang

Southampton: McCarthy – Soares, Stephens, Hoedt, Bertrand – Romeu, Lemina – Tadic, Gabbbiadini, Redmond – Austin

Southampton will be desperate coming into this clash, and they will surely put in the effort, but their form is abysmal. They are without a doubt the more motivated side, but motivation is not always enough – you must also be able to perform.

Arsenal’s lack of motivation in the Premier League is making bookies put up odds which are higher than normal on them to win recently, and so far the bookmakers have paid the price, as the Gunners demolished both Watford and Stoke in their last two outings.

Arsenal is playing well and they will treat this will full seriosity, as the Premier League is always important, and they also want to keep the winning run going. Their match against CSKA Moscow on Thursday was played at home, so they shouldn`t be too tired. They have the away leg next week, but qualification is virtually secured, so they can focus on this clash with Southampton for now.

This looks like a game Arsenal should win, and it`s very similar to their last round matchup against Stoke, when they won 3-0. A similar result could be on the cards as well. I think odds around 1.60 are very good for Arsenal here, and I`m happy to back them at this price.

I will keep the stake reasonable, because the motivation factor is worth taking into account, because Southampton is somewhat prone to draws, and because Arsenal might make 2-3 minor lineup changes. But I`m confident in my tip on Arsenal, and 7 units still represents a solid investment. Prediction: Arsenal – Southampton 2-0.

Pick: Arsenal
Odds: 1.62 @ 1xBet
Stake: 7
Possible profit: 4.34
Event date: 8 April