Probable Lineups
4-3-3
4-2-3-1
Probable Lineups Statistical Comparison
* Values in brackets (x) are overall player statistics in FA Cup.
Missing Players
Southampton
Arsenal
| Player | Reason | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Virgil van Dijk | Out | |
| Jay Rodriguez | Out | |
| James Ward-Prowse | Out | |
| Jérémy Pied | Out | |
| Matt Targett | Out | |
| Jake Hesketh | Out | |
| Alex McCarthy | Out |
| Player | Reason | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Santi Cazorla | Out | |
| Chuba Akpom | Out | |
| Yaya Sanogo | Out | |
| Granit Xhaka | Out | |
| Mathieu Debuchy | Out | |
| Per Mertesacker | Out | |
| Theo Walcott | Doubtful | |
| Mohamed Elneny | Out |
Team News
Southampton
Arsenal
- James Ward-Prowse and Jay Rodriguez will not feature this weekend after picking up injuries in their EFL Cup semi final second leg triumph over Liverpool on Wednesday. Southampton still do not know the full extent of Virgil van Dijk's ankle injury but he is ruled out for the second game in a row here.
- Claude Puel may look to freshen up his squad after his side put everything into their 1-0 win at Anfield in midweek, which should benefit the likes of Josh Sims, Harrison Reed and Sam McQueen.
- Granit Xhaka starts his four-match ban this weekend after picking up his second red card of the season last time out.
- Danny Welbeck has made three substitute appearances this season since making his comeback from a long-term injury and could be in line for his first start of the season against Southampton.
- Theo Walcott has been out injured since before Christmas but is expected to return to the squad for the trip to his former club.
- Per Mertesacker and Mathieu Debuchy will re-join training with the main group on Friday but won't feature here.
Works better without Özil...
Walcott: 6 successful passes 3 goals :D
Perez really impressed with his passing ability and vision.
Wenger should more often play 4-3-3 and stick Ozil on the right wing where he plays for Germany. And have Perez/Welbeck, Walcott and Sanchez up front where any team would find it hard to contain them! Have Ox,Ramsey and Ozil in the middle in the next few games! opposition was pretty shi t but Ox was excellent in the middle. I love Giroud but he cannot press upfront. He's best suited to Arsenal as s sub now!
Wow, Welbeck! It was like he was never away. In fact, he looks significantly better now. In fact, everyone played well, particularly impressed with the 3 in midfield.
It's going to be a tough season for Soton, Without Fonte and VVD
BENCH: Martinez, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Gabriel, Monreal, Iwobi, Alexis.
OFFICIAL: Ospina, Bellerin, Mustafi, Holding, Gibbs, Chamberlain, Niles, Walcott, Adelaide, Lucas, Welbeck.
Unbelievable!!! No Coquelin, no Ramsey in the team.
Hoping Arsenal play a full strength team versus the Saints and use the Watford match on 1 Feb to rotate the squad before the Chelsea clash on 4 Feb. That being the case I'd like to see a line up of GK: Cech, RB: Debuchy, CB: Mustafi: CB: Koscielny, LB: Monreal, CDM: Coquelin, CDM: Ramsey, RW: Perez, CAM: Ozil, LW: Walcott, CF: Sanchez. Hoping to see Arsenal sit deep and play on the counter to take advantage of the speed and movement of Perez, Sanchez and Walcott and they vision of Ozil. Ramsey in particular will need to show defensive discipline in this one.
1-2
I have a feeling of hat trick and a brace. Expect more goals here. 1-5
@buthethi #matchfixing lol - go and buy yourself a lottery ticket mate :D
Southampton 2-0 Arsenal
@0708915762 yep you "NOBLE predictor" :DDDD
Oh and before @Albgunn asks, I keep spelling Mesut's surname as Oezil because that is how you spell it (correctly) in lieu of the umlauted (the 2 dots above the O) version. "Ozil" is incorrect since it changes the way his name is pronounced. Hope that finally clears things up for you.
I would like to see more changes than our squad can actually provide. With Xhaka suspended and Elneny at the AFCON, Coquelin will start. Ospina will also. The way Koscielny looked against Burnley, holding his thigh on occasion, I can see him being rested with Gabriel moved to CB and Maitland-Niles deputising for Bellerin if he is still not 100%. I would like a return to the fluid front 3 formation but with Perez taking the place of Walcott: Ospina, Niles, Mustafi, Gabriel, Monreal, Ramsey, Coquelin, Iwobi, Oezil, Lucas, Alexis. We haven't beaten Soton at St. Mary's for a while so we will need to play well. With that lineup, I think we'll have enough. 2-1 to Arsenal.
Being a Cup match, would be good time to award starts to our fringe players. However, this is still a crucial match as Saints have proven tough to us lately. From the last match, I would only retain Ozil and Sanchez, plus the 'Kostafi' at CB. At the central midfield, I would play Coquelin and the Ox - remember the Ox playing at central midfield at Champions league vs Milan some years ago. Ramsey would benefit from a rest to ensure he is fit for the Watford game in 3 days. Something like: Ospina, Bellerin, Koscielny, Mustafi, Gibbs, Coquelin, Ox, Ozil, Lucas, Sanchez, Welbeck.
Would like to see Lucas start. Not too confident about this match as the Saints seem to play well against us, and it's away from home.
@Overmars Well, Saints now have a long injury list and congested fixtures as they are playing EFL semi final in the midweek. Arsenal should be in a better position this time. Would be good to get a revenge.
@Valor Will Van Dyke be injured for the match against Arsenal? Not sure.
@Overmars He's out for 3 months, I hear.
@Valor 3 months eh? I gotta check up on that. He definitely didn't play vs Liverpool in the CO cup.