Premier League leaders Arsenal will be looking to recover from back-to-back draws when they welcome bottom club Southampton to the Emirates Stadium on Friday night.
The Gunners find themselves four points clear of second-placed Manchester City, although Pep Guardiola’s side have a game in hand over their title rivals.
New week. Fresh focus.Our attention turns to Friday. pic.twitter.com/sngc86pWkL— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 17, 2023
New week. Fresh focus.Our attention turns to Friday. pic.twitter.com/sngc86pWkL
At the opposite end of the table, Southampton sit two points behind Leicester City and four points from safety after failing to win any of their last six matches.
Arsenal’s lead at the Premier League summit has been slashed following 2-2 draws with Liverpool and West Ham United, despite Mikel Arteta’s men leading 2-0 in both games.
Still, it is worth remembering that Arsenal chalked up seven straight league wins prior to the draws, meaning they head into Friday’s clash on a nine-match unbeaten streak.
When you look at the bigger picture, Arsenal have lost just three of their 31 Premier League encounters this season, picking up 23 wins and five draws along the way.
Having scored at least one goal in each of their previous 13 outings across all competitions, the Gunners will be confident of bouncing back against struggling Southampton.
As for the Saints, they have lost each of their last three matches, with four defeats coming in their previous five Premier League clashes.
In terms of the bigger picture, Southampton have only managed to win six of their 31 league outings this term, recording five draws and 20 losses in the process.
Southampton’s current boss, Ruben Selles, is the club’s third permanent manager of the season, following the sackings off Ralph Hasenhuttl and Nathan Jones.
However, if the team’s performances continue to produce negative results, Selles won’t be able to save Southampton from relegation.
Head-to-head: Southampton managed to hold Arsenal to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture back in October, meaning the Saints are unbeaten in their last two meetings.
That said, Southampton have managed to win just two of their last 14 Premier League meetings with Arsenal, suffering seven defeats in that time.
Team news: Arsenal are currently without Takehiro Tomiyasu, William Saliba and Mohamed Elneny due to injury, while Oleksandr Zinchenko is a doubt for Friday.
Southampton's injury list contains Che Adams, Mohamed Salisu, Mislav Orsic and Juan Larios, while Arsenal loanee Ainsley Maitland-Niles is unable to face his parent club.
Given the 41-point gulf between table-topping Arsenal and lowly Southampton, all the signs point towards a comfortable home win.
Forebet predicts that Arsenal will reignite their title charge on Friday, scoring over 2.5 goals while keeping a clean sheet en route to victory.