Southampton face Premier League favourites Arsenal in huge away match

The recent 3-1 defeat against Bournemouth has been an underwhelming result for Southampton who are nineteenth in the league table with only one point from their first six Premier League matches. Moreover, this defeat means that Russell Martin's side will have to aim to take some points against Arsenal in the next away match before the international break, in order to get some momentum for the remainder of the season. And taking a draw with Mikel Arteta's side is a huge task with Arsenal aiming to lift the Premier League title this season after finishing runners-up behind Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the previous two seasons. 

This season, Arsenal have again started their Premier League campaign in good form winning four games alongside two draws against Manchester City and Fulham. Further, there is a huge contrast between the two sides in terms of goalscoring with Arsenal possessing one of the best front-three in the Premier League with twelve goals and Southampton scoring the fewest goals in the league season. 

Southampton face Premier League favourites Arsenal in huge away match

On top of that, Arsenal are coming on the back of a 4-2 win over Championship winners Leicester City while the Saints conceded thrice within the first half against Bournemouth in a 3-1 defeat. Thus, Russell Martin's side would have to put up a brilliant all-round display to take a much important draw from this fixture. 

Although Arsenal remain the heavy favourites to secure the three points from the seventh matchday, their last win against Southampton came three years ago in the 2021/22 season. Also, Southampton managed to play a 1-1 draw at the St. Mary's Stadium and a thrilling 3-3 draw in their last match with Arsenal two seasons ago, when they were relegated to the Championship after a few matches. Thus, the Saints have been a decent side against Arsenal in the recent matches, with both sides winning one game each and playing two draws in their previous four games. 

Therefore, manager Russell Martin and Southampton should take inspiration from their impressive recent displays against Mikel Arteta's side to spark a good performance in the upcoming match despite an underwhelming start to their new season. Moreover, several lineup changes are expected and it remains to be seen whether Martin starts his standout players from the Bournemouth defeat in the Arsenal match.