Arsenal will be hosting Southampton for their Premier League tie on Sunday evening. The Emirates might just be moderately occupied just like the previous two fixtures against Stoke City and CSKA Moscow.
The ‘Wenger Out’ campaign has gained more traction this season and quite rightfully so. Arsenal are currently sixth in the Premier League table, 13 points behind the 4th spot and their bitter rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. A second season with a similar result along with the woeful manner of exit from the FA Cup, not to mention the submissive 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the Carrabo Cup final, is not ideal for a club of Arsenal’s stature.
The club has regressed to new heights and it will take almost a continental shift to get it back on to the right track. Arsene Wenger’s only chance of scavenging something out of this unadorned season is to win the UEFA Europa League trophy.
But that does not mean sacrificing the domestic fixtures completely. There are 7 games still left in the league season (including this one) and Burnley are sitting 5 points behind the North London club. The Clarets are the ‘best of the rest’ and are looking to steal that last European qualification spot, which will be the cherry on top of their best season in the top-flight.
So it is time for Wenger and his men to buckle down and start the turn-around process early. They are already high in morale after the handsome 4-1 win over Moscow on Thursday. And now taking on a relegation-riddled Southampton is the best way to keep that train running.
The Saints are desperate for a win but need to overcome a spree of their own problems. Mark Hughes could become the first manager ever to beat the Gunners twice in a regular season with two different teams.
Here is how the Gunners might lineup on matchday.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Defence
Petr Cech will have to protect the goal line now that David Ospina has been ruled out for 3 weeks. The Czech Republic international might get shielded by the defensive quartet of Hector Bellerin, Shkodran Mustafi, Laurent Koscielny and Sead Kolasinac.
Midfield
Mohamed Elneny and Granit Xhaka are expected to take on the holding midfield roles with Jack Wilshere in the front as the attacking midfield option.
The latter might get flanked by Mesut Ozil and Danny Welbeck.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan is out for this clash due to a knee injury.
Attack
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can return to the starting lineup after the missing the last fixture due to ineligibility.
