With only couple of rounds left to play this season, the English premier league is set to provide another edge of your seat, blockbuster encounter as league rivals, Southampton FC and the Arsenal FC lock horns on Wednesday at the St Mary’s Stadium, in a make-up clash of the Round 26 that was postponed after Southampton made the EFL Cup finals back in February.
The Arsenal FC manager Arsene Wenger and his Gunners side will be full of confidence, fresh off the back of their emphatic 2:0 home victory over the Red Devils last weekend. This was the Gunners manager first win over a Jose Mourinho side in the English Premier league, and it must have tasted extra sweet for the Frenchman, in light of the recent issues at the club regarding his future.
On the other hand, the Saints will have received a much needed boost after their recent trip to Anfield, the clubs goalkeeper Fraser Foster saved a James Milner penalty late in the game, to secure a valuable point against Jurgen Klopp’s high flying Liverpool side.
The Saints will be looking to end this season on a high, and their coach Claude Puel will need to inspire his team once more, if they are to overcome a rejuvenated Arsenal side in this Wednesday’s make-up game for Round 26.
SOUTHAMPTON FC vs. ARSENAL FC
3-Way: 1: Southampton FC +272; X: +280 Draw; Arsenal FC +112
Spread +0.5: Southampton FC -116; Arsenal FC +108
Total +2.5: Over -133; Under +125
SOUTHAMPTON FC
Southampton FC is currently ranked 10th in the English Premier League, and has accumulated 42 points from their 34 matches played this season. In spite of the clubs recent away result against the Liverpool FC, the side is without a win in their last four competitive matches domestically, and the team has only managed a single victory from their last three home matches played at the St. Mary’s Stadium. The Southampton FC’s latest victory came against the Crystal Palace in what was a convincing (3:1) triumph over the Eagles, courtesy of two late goals from Mayo Yoshida and James-Ward-Prowse, back at the beginning of April.
The Southampton FC’s home form this season has been disappointing, the club has only won six times out of their sixteen matches played on home soil and has lost five matches as the hosts this season. In attack, the club has struggled to find the net at home, and has a meagre tally of seventeen goals from the final third of the pitch, whilst the team has failed to score on five separate occasions. Defensively, the club has kept an impressive seven clean sheets at the St. Mary’s Stadium, and has only conceded eighteen goals throughout this campaign.
The clubs top goalscorer this season is their striker Charlie Austin, who has found the net nine times in the league, whilst his fellow teammate and England International Nathan Redmond follows closely behind with seven goals. The Italian forward Manolo Gabbiadini has netted a total six goals throughout this campaign, at the same time, his Irish striking partner Shane Long has bagged five goals this season.
The manager Claude Puel has no fresh injury concerns ahead of this Wednesday’s hotly anticipated clash, the clubs top goalscorer Charlie Austin returned to the under 23’s side to play Manchester City last weekend, after the player sustained an injury in a European fixture earlier this year. The manager is hoping that this will improve his physical fitness, and will be desperate for the forward to return to the first team before the end of this season. The clubs long term absentee Matt Targett is still unavailable, but the manager Claude Puel has informed the clubs supporters at his latest press conference, that the striker will resume training with the side, this week.
ARSENAL FC
Arsenal FC is currently ranked sixth in the English Premier League table, and has closed the gap on their domestic rivals the Red Devils to just four points following their impressive home victory against the Manchester United at the Emirates last weekend. The manager Arsene Wenger will be hoping his side can continue this recent momentum, after the Gunners were comprehensively defeated by their North London rivals the Spurs, and with a potential FA cup in the bag, the future looks bright for the Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who has come under fire this season from dissenting fans and the media speculating the demise of his tenure at the club, it looks as though the esteemed manager may well silence his critics come the end of this season.
The Gunners away record this season has been tumultuous, and this unsteady form is reflected in their results in the English Premier League. The club has won seven of their seventeen fixtures as the travelling side, but has an equal number of losses on the road throughout this campaign. The Arsenal FC has lost their last five consecutive league matches away from home, and the club will be looking to rectify this abysmal streak, when they clash with the Saints this Wednesday.
The Gunners ace frontman Alexis Sanchez is in prolific form this season, the Chilean sensation has netted 19 times domestically, and has a grand total of 24 goals in all competitions. Equally impressive however, is the strikers playmaking abilities, the forward has demonstrated his creative talents with an accumulation of fourteen assists for the Gunners this season. Alexis Sanchez is now only two behind the Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane, and trails the Toffees striker Romelu Lukaku by five, in the race for the coveted Golden Boot award.
The Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla is still undergoing his physical rehabilitation, following the long term injury, that has kept the silky playmaker sidelined for most of this season, whilst the Swiss talisman Grant Xhaka will be a last minute call, after the player prematurely left the field with a knock against the Red Devils in last weekend’s clash of the titans.
Southampton FC vs. Arsenal FC Match Prediction
The Saints will aim to stop the rot this Wednesday and finally put an end to a recent baron spell that has seen the home side go without a win in their last four consecutive league matches. A win for the manager Claude Puel and his side, would see them climb up the table by two places, and eclipse their league rivals the West Bromwich Albion, currently ranked 8th. A point at Anfield will have given the Saints renewed confidence and self-belief going into this clash, and the travelling side will have to put on an excellent performance if they wish to smuggle away all three points this Wednesday.
On the other hand, the Gunners will be brimming with faith, after their imperious home win over old rivals the Manchester United last weekend, and the club still has the opportunity to salvage something from a disastrous season, if they can close the gap on the Red Devils and fulfil their lofty ambitions of claiming Europa league qualification this season. The manager Arsene Wenger has had a troubling season, and has been the subject of a proposed mutiny by dissenting fans regarding his future at the club, but Arsene Wenger still has a FA Cup final to play and if the manager can inspire his side to lift this prestigious cup and end this season with a consistent run of results in the English Premier League, his future at the Arsenal FC will be solidified, at least for another season.
With all being said, I expect nothing but a win from the Gunners but it surely will not come too easy as the hosts have found a momentum recently and will look to exploit it to the maximum when they step onto the grass of the St. Mary’s Stadium. Look for both teams to score and go with the total.
MY PICK: ARSENAL FC (+112)
TOTAL: Over 2.5 goals (-133)
Additional Pick: Both teams to score YES (-149)
