Southampton vs. Arsenal: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream and TV Info
Arsenal and Southampton face off at St. Mary's Stadium with both sides desperate to celebrate Christmas with three precious points.
Southampton have had a strange year. Twelve months ago, they were fifth in the Premier League, two points clear of Arsenal. Now the gap is 15 points, with Arsenal well clear of the Saints in 12th place.
However, Southampton will hope this is a chance for them to put an end to their recent poor run. Arsenal have not won at St. Mary's since 2003, and Arsene Wenger will be acutely aware that this will not be an easy game. With the squad stretched by injuries, there is no real opportunity to rotate. Fatigue could be a factor.
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For Arsenal, this match is all about maintaining momentum. Their victory against Manchester City earlier in the week has fuelled hopes of ending their long wait for a title, and a win against Southampton will further instil the belief that this could be their year.
Date: Saturday, December 26
Time: 7:45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET
Location: St. Mary's Stadium, Southampton
Television coverage: BT Sport 1 / BT Sport 1 HD (U.K. only), NBC and Telemundo (U.S. only)
Streaming: BT Sport app (U.K. only)
Form
Southampton
L (3-1) vs. Manchester City
L (1-6) vs. Liverpool
D (1-1) vs. Aston Villa
L (1-0) vs. Crystal Palace
L (0-2) vs. Tottenham
Arsenal
D (1-1) vs. Norwich
W (3-1) vs. Sunderland
W (0-3) Olympiakos
W (0-2) vs. Aston Villa
W (2-1) vs. Manchester City
Southampton are in dire form. Their last five league games have seen them score just twice and take only a single point. By contrast, Arsenal have a 100 percent record in December, with four wins across two competitions.
Key to that good run has been their defensive record. Arsenal have conceded just 14 Premier League goals—the joint-lowest tally in the Premier League. By contrast, the Saints have not kept a clean sheet for five games.
The Gunners are undoubtedly the form side, and it will take a drastic upturn in Southampton’s performance level for them to cause an upset.
The Managers
Ronald Koeman is a man under pressure. The recent sackings of Garry Monk at Swansea and Jose Mourinho at Chelsea have confirmed that a successful season is quickly forgotten when a team’s form disappears. Koeman was heralded as a miracle worker last year, but he appears to have lost the magic touch.
Per the BBC, he admitted that he was “worried” about his side’s performances:
"It's all about results… Every manager is under pressure. If you sack [Jose] Mourinho, if you sack [Garry] Monk from Swansea - then we know. It's all about the philosophy of the club, the chairman, and the board. It's still quiet in Southampton but maybe in one month it can be different. I do my job, I do my best for the club and do what I have to do, and nothing else. I am of course worried, because it's a bad run.
"
Wenger has no such concerns. His Arsenal side are looking like real contenders to lift the Premier League title, and his job now is simply to try to keep his men on course. Per Arsenal.com, Wenger managed to be both calm and optimistic in his assessment of Arsenal’s chances:
"We have had quite a positive year and stabilised our defensive record and improved our record against the strong teams in the Premier League so it looks like we are on the right train going the right way. We have been top of the league in previous years and I think football is pragmatic. Nobody can predict what can happen in the next 17 games for example, and you just want to go with the same attitude and spirit.
It’s down to being pragmatic, putting the effort in to win your next game and worrying about your performance. That gives you a chance over a longer distance to maybe achieve your goals. At the moment, it’s miles too early to say who will win the Premier League. We’ve played 17 games - we’re not even at halfway.
"
Wenger’s words suggest he is trying to reduce the expectation and pressure on his team. He will know better than most that his side have an excellent opportunity to finish the season on top. Win at Southampton, and Arsenal’s status as favourites will be secure.
Team News
Southampton
Koeman will hope to have Maarten Stekelenburg fit to replace Paulo Gazzaniga in his starting XI. Although neither 'keeper has been particularly convincing in Fraser Forster’s absence, the Dutchman is the more experienced and able of the two remaining stoppers.
The Saints will also hope their first-choice back four begins to find some form. Southampton’s success last season was based upon defensive solidity. Without Forster, and with Nathaniel Clyne having joined Liverpool, they’ve been far less secure.
Predicted Southampton XI (4-2-3-1): Maarten Stekelenburg; Cedric Soares, Virgil van Dijk, Jose Fonte, Ryan Bertrand; Jordie Clasie, Victor Wanyama; Steven Davis, Sadio Mane, Dusan Tadic; Graziano Pelle
Arsenal
A setback for Alexis Sanchez means Arsenal are likely to persist with the same side who beat Manchester City on Monday. That will mean Theo Walcott and Joel Campbell continuing in the wide roles either side of the red-hot Olivier Giroud.
Wenger might be tempted to draft in the likes of Calum Chambers or Gabriel Paulista, but with easier games on the horizon he may try to squeeze as much as possible out of this XI before opting to rotate. Arsenal’s next match is at home to Bournemouth, and Wenger may view that as a better chance to make changes.
Predicted Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Petr Cech; Hector Bellerin, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal; Mathieu Flamini, Aaron Ramsey; Theo Walcott, Mesut Ozil, Joel Campbell; Olivier Giroud.
Players to Watch
Southampton: Victor Wanyama
If Southampton have any real hope of keeping Arsenal at bay, Wanyama will be crucial to their game plan. He will be charged with breaking up the play in exactly the sort of areas where Mesut Ozil typically thrives.
Ozil is the creative key for the Gunners, and the powerful Kenyan will surely be told to make sure he cannot influence the game as he did against Manchester City.
Intriguingly, Wanyama is exactly the sort of player Arsenal need to acquire in the forthcoming January transfer window to fill the gap left by Francis Coquelin’s injury. Perhaps an impressive performance here could call him to Wenger’s attention.
Arsenal: Mesut Ozil
Ozil is not just the Arsenal player to watch—he is arguably the man to look out for in the entire Premier League. Two assists against City took his tally for the season to a remarkable 15, and he is now on course to shatter Thierry Henry’s record of 20 in a single campaign.
With Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla absent, Ozil has become all the more important to Arsenal. Fortunately for the Gunners, he appears to be stepping up and seizing the responsibility. Against a defence with as little confidence as Southampton’s, he could potentially run riot.
James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.
