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Arsenal travel to St Mary's Stadium to face 14th-placed Southampton on Thursday on the back of two consecutive defeats. Since the resumption of the Premier League fixtures, the Gunners have lost 0-3 to Manchester City and 1-2 to Brighton and Hove Albion. They have also lost a couple of key players like Granit Xhaka and Bernd Leno to injuries.
Meanwhile, the Saints overcame Norwich City by three goals in their recent outing at Carrow Road. With 10 points separating Ralph Hasenhuttl's side from relegation-fighters West Ham United and Bournemouth, they are expected to retain their place in the English top division next season.
Southampton vs Arsenal Head-to-Head
Arsenal have struggled to beat Southampton away from home since the days of Arsene Wenger. The last time they recorded a victory at St Mary's was back in May 2017 when Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud scored in the second half.
The most recent meeting between the two sides ended in a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium, with Alexandre Lacazette scoring both goals for the North London club.
Southampton form guide: W-L-L-W-L
Arsenal form guide: L-L-W-W-L
Southampton v Arsenal Team News
Southampton have no fresh injury concerns following their game against the Canaries. Hasenhuttl could retain the same starting eleven which includes current top-scorer Danny Ings. The former Liverpool player has now scored 16 goals in the last 30 Premier League appearances, his best record in any season.
However, Arsenal will be without the services of Pablo Mari and Calum Chambers as they are sidelined due to injuries. Mikel Arteta will be particularly concerned with the fact that he lost first-choice goalkeeper Leno to a serious-looking knee injury in the Gunners' previous fixture.
Injuries: Bernd Leno, Calum Chambers, Pablo Mari, Sokratis, Cedric Soares, Granit Xhaka, Lucas Torreira
Suspensions: David Luiz
Doubtful: None
Southampton vs Arsenal Predicted XI
Southampton Predicted XI (4-4-2): Alex McCarthy; Ryan Bertrand, Jan Bednarek, Jack Stephens, Yan Valery; Nathan Redmond, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, James Ward-Prowse, Stuart Armstrong; Michael Obafemi, Danny Ings
Arsenal Predicted XI (4-3-3): Emiliano Martinez; Hector Bellerin, Shkodran Mustafi, Rob Holding, Kieran Tierney; Mesut Ozil, Matteo Guendouzi, Bukayo Saka; Nicolas Pepe, Eddie Nketiah, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Southampton vs Arsenal Prediction
The absence of several key players is likely to dent Arsenal's hopes of finishing in the top six this season. Their backline is starting to look shaky once again and Ings will want to take this chance to add to his goal tally.
Both Aubameyang and Lacazette did not look sharp in the last two matches. The captain had missed several chances to get onto the scoresheet and put his team in front. The Gunners have subsequently been getting punished for their missed chances.
With nothing going Arteta's way, the Saints have a strong chance of condemning Arsenal to their third consecutive defeat on Thursday.
Prediction: Southampton 2-1 Arsenal
