Paul Merson predicts another away defeat for Southampton against Arsenal

Russell Martin's side will visit Arsenal in a massive away match at the Emirates Stadium in the seventh Premier League matchday before the international break. Southampton will aim to keep the disappointment against Bournemouth aside and will try to give a much better performance against Mikel Arteta's side, who are again expected to compete with defending Champions Manchester City in the Premier League title race. Although manager Russell Martin made some tactical mistakes with his striker-less formation in the recent 3-1 defeat, Martin and the Southampton fans were surprised with a lack of response from the Saints, who conceded three goals in the first half itself.

With five defeats already in the first six matches, Southampton need to start turning the results in their favour otherwise they could be relegated again at the end of the season. Recently, Premier League analyst Paul Merson previewed Southampton's away match with Arsenal and predicted a massive 4-0 defeat for Russell Martin's side, saying,

Paul Merson predicts another away defeat for Southampton against Arsenal

"I worry for Southampton. The last game against Bournemouth was a fixture they should be looking at and thinking of getting a result.

But instead, they got absolutely battered. It would be hard to imagine them getting something from this game."

- Paul Merson

Merson clearly highlighted Arsenal's impressive rise in recent seasons from aiming for qualification to European football to now aiming for the Premier League title. Further, Mikel Arteta's side have started this season on a high note as well winning four matches and playing two draws in the Premier League. While Arsenal are a completely better side than Southampton, they had played two consecutive draws with the Saints in the Premier League two seasons ago.

Moreover, new signing Aaron Ramsdale and the Saints will attempt to showcase their best performance in this match and gain some momentum in the league due to the uncertainty looming over Southampton regarding their aim to avoid relegation. Therefore it remains to be seen whether Southampton can take some points from the upcoming Arsenal match.