Premier League title contenders Arsenal take on Southampton at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday in the quarter-finals of the League Cup. The two teams have already met in the Premier League this season, also in London, and Arsenal won 2-1 thanks to a stoppage-time penalty kick converted by Santi Cazorla. Last season Southampton produced an amazing display to beat Arsenal 4-0 at St Mary's on Boxing Day, while the London match finished 0-0. The last time Southampton won at the Emirates Stadium was in 2014, and it happened in the League Cup.
Arsenal are still unbeaten since the opening day of the season, but a string of three consecutive draws in all competitions put some pressure on the Gunners ahead of last weekend's home match against Bournemouth. It was a tough match for Arsene Wenger and his men but eventually they pulled off a 3-1 victory, with Alexis Sanchez scoring twice. The Chilean striker will most likely be rested for this match, along with Olivier Giroud, who picked up a slight hamstring injury last weekend. Several backup players might be given a chance to prove themselves, including goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Southampton ended their own three-game winless run last weekend as they defeated Everton 1-0 at St Mary's, a good victory against former manager Ronald Koeman. However, they are currently 10th in the Premier League table, so if they want to qualify for the Europa League again this season, the League Cup might be a more realistic way to achieve that. Steven Davis and Dusan Tadic might not be able to make their returns to full fitness ahead of this match, while Matt Targett remains on the injured list along with Jeremy Pied, Harrison Reed and Alex McCarthy.
Probable line-ups:
Arsenal: Martinez - Jenkinson, Gabriel, Holding, Gibbs - Ramsey, Coquelin - Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Iwobi - Perez
Southampton: Forster - Soares, Fonte, Van Dijk, Bertrand - Hojbjerg, Romeu, Davis - Redmond, Austin, Sims
My prediction: Arsenal to win 2-1.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Arsenal win - 1.83
Draw - 3.90
Southampton win - 4.50
Your feedback
Please enter your comment.
Your comment is added.
