Southampton vs Arsenal: Match preview, lineups, quotes, form, injuries and how to watch

When and where to watch Southampton vs Arsenal

Southampton vs Arsenal kicks off at 2pm on Sunday 23 October.

You can catch all the action from St Mary's on NOW via BT TV.

Southampton vs Arsenal match preview 

Southampton’s mini-revival continued with a win over Bournemouth on Wednesday. They’ve now taken four points from a possible six after also securing a point against West Ham last weekend.

The match against the Cherries also saw the Saints record their first clean sheet of the season – they were the only Premier League club without one.

Che Adams scored his first goal since August, which should take some weight off his shoulders and give him confidence against the Gunners.

French defender Romain Perraud has been instrumental in Southampton’s last two fixtures, with a goal against the Hammers and an assist on Wednesday.

The pressure was lifted from manager Ralph Hasenhuttl with their win over in-form Bournemouth, but he’ll know that more wins will be required to keep the pressure off and please the St Mary’s faithful.

Arsenal top the table and go into this fixture having not played their scheduled fixture against Manchester City in mid-week.

That match was postponed so that the Gunners could play their delayed match against PSV in the Europa League (postponed due to the Queen’s death) on Thursday.

Mikel Arteta’s side had to dig deep at the weekend to overcome a resilient Leeds United side who had big chances to take something from the game.

A fixture against an energetic Dutch side won’t have helped the Gunners going into this game, so they’ll need to dig deep and rely on their stars to get them over the line. 

Southampton vs Arsenal predicted lineups

Southampton: (4-4-2) Bazunu; S Armstrong, Caleta-Car, Perraud, Salisu, Djenepo, Aribo, Ward-Prowse, Elyounoussi, A Armstrong, Adams.

Arsenal: (4-5-1) Ramsdale; White, Gabriel, Saliba, Tomiyasu, Partey, Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli, Xhaka, Jesus.

Southampton vs Arsenal: Injuries and suspensions

Southampton loanee Ainsley Maitland-Niles is unavailable for selection against his parent club, so could be replaced by Moussa Djenepo.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed that Kyle Walker-Peters will be out for a long time too with a hamstring injury.

Armel Bella-Kotchap remains out with a shoulder injury, with Duje Caleta-Car continuing to fill in.

Romeo Lavia continues his comeback from a thigh issue, but is ready to start training with the team again.

It’s the same injury issues for Arsenal, with Emile Smith Rowe, Mohmed Elneny and Oleksandr Zinchenko all still out.

Gabriel Martinelli has been suffering from illness but should be passed fit to play. 

Southampton vs Arsenal: Form guide

After a run of four defeats and a draw, Southampton claimed a much-needed win against their south-coast rivals Bournemouth.

The pressure was mounting on manager Ralph Hasenhuttl and victory against the Cherries will need to be followed up by more wins if he’s to stay in the Saints’ hotseat.

Still, the win at the Vitality Stadium was impressive because under Gary O’Neil Bournemouth have been in fine form. In fact, that was the Cherries first defeat under their interim manager.

The match marked Southampton’s first clean sheet of the season, which should give them confidence going into the match against top-of-the-table Arsenal.

The Gunners looked leggy against Leeds last week and had a European encounter against PSV on Thursday, so Southampton will be looking to get at Arsenal’s defence early on.

What impressed Mikel Arteta about his side’s win at the weekend was their grit and determination, saying "I love the resilience, the fight, the character and the courage that the team showed to win the game.”

Arteta might need more of that character to overcome a confident Southampton side away from home. 

Southampton vs Arsenal: Last time they met

With Arsenal looking to clinch a Champions League spot at the end of last season, they travelled to St Mary’s in mid-April to face a Southampton side they were expected to beat.

However, a magnificent display from Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster (now at Spurs) kept the Gunners out and Jan Bednarek popped up at the other end to clinch a 1-0 win for Southampton.  

He said what?!

Southampton's manager Ralph Hasenhuttl on the upcoming visit of Arsenal after beating Bournemouth:

“Now is coming maybe the team of the moment in the Premier League to us with Arsenal.

“We know how tough it is against them but last year we also beat them at home so we will go again.”

Southampton vs Arsenal: Players to watch

Che Adams scored the winner against Bournemouth in mid-week – his first goal since bagging a brace against Leicester in August.

The wait for his third goal of the season was a long time coming, but now he has it the Scotland international will want to get a run going and show some consistency in front of goal.

If the Saints can get crosses into the box, Adams can be a handful for defenders.

Gabriel Jesus didn’t score against Liverpool or Leeds, so will no doubt be eager to get on the scoresheet against the Saints.

With Martin Odegaard back in the side capable of spotting passes, there should be plenty of opportunities for Jesus to get back among the goals.  

Southampton vs Arsenal: Key stats

• Tough at the top: This is the third time Southampton are hosting Arsenal in a Premier League match with the Gunners starting the day top of the table, with Saints unbeaten in the previous two (3-2 in November 2002, 2-2 in January 2014).

• Keep it clean! Arsenal have kept more clean sheets (4) and conceded fewer goals (3) away from home than any other side in the Premier League this season.

• We don't draw! Arsenal have won nine of their 10 Premier League games this season (L1), their best ever start to a top-flight campaign. The Gunners haven’t drawn any of their last 27 Premier League games, with only four sides ever having a longer such run – Bolton 28 (ending December 2011), Man City 30 (September 2021), Man City 31 (August 2019) and Tottenham 32 (February 2019).

• Defence gone missing: No side has kept fewer clean sheets in the Premier League this season than Southampton (1), while Arsenal are so far the only side to have scored in every game.

• Saka on fire! No player has been involved in more Premier League goals for Arsenal than Bukayo Saka this season (8 – 4 goals, 4 assists), with each of his eight goal involvements this term coming in his last seven appearances.