The current season has not been a very good one for Arsenal. Currently standing at sixth on the Premier League table, the Gunners are looking to make the most of their remaining fixtures to try and go up the ladder as far as possible. Their midweek encounter will also be important for the Gunners to try and win a place in the coveted top four.
With a 2-0 win over arch rivals Manchester United in their last matchup, Arsenal will hope to repeat their performance in the next match too. However, Southampton is not a team to be bogged down very easily and an enthralling encounter is guaranteed to take place when the two Premier League clubs lock horns with each other.
The Gunners have no shortage of good players in their line-up and if the following three can perform well against the Saints, it can ensure victory for the North London club with ease.
Alexis Sanchez-
The Chilean ace has been one of the most valuable players for Arsenal since he has arrived from Barcelona in 2014. A recent rift between him and the club’s longtime manager Arsene Wenger has left Sanchez looking to leave the Emirates Stadium after the current season is over. Reportedly, he has also denied to pen down a new deal with the Gunners for the next season. However, this has not been able to hamper the stellar form that the mercurial forward is carrying with him in the present season and Southampton will be well aware of that fact. The Saints will need to chalk out a plan to stop the Chilean marksman from raiding their goal and scoring against them.
Mesut Ozil-
The German midfield maestro has also been far from happy with current state of affairs at the North London club. He has also chosen the path of his Chilean teammate and has not signed a new contract with Arsenal for the seasons to come. Though not in the best of form recently, the Gunners’ fans will need him to play a pivotal role in defeating their rivals from the South Coast in their forthcoming fixture.
Rob Holding-
With the shift to the present 3-4-3 system by their French manager Arsene Wenger, Arsenal is very much dependent on Holding to keep a strong hold on the defensive affairs in partnership with Shkodran Mustafi and Nacho Monreal. In the match against Southampton, the defender needs to repeat his performance that he showed against Manchester United and help Petr Cech keep two clean sheets in a row.
