Premier League Preview: Arsenal Aims to Secure Ranking with Home Win, Southampton Seeks Upset for Points While in Relegation Zone

On October 5th, the 7th round of Premier League matches sees Arsenal hosting Southampton. Arsenal is on a high across all fronts and aims to secure their ranking with a home win; Southampton, mired in the relegation zone, hopes for an upset to grab some points.

Arsenal has secured 4 wins and 2 draws in the first 6 rounds, scoring 12 goals and conceding 5, just one point behind the top team Liverpool. In their previous 3 home games, Arsenal achieved 2 wins and 1 draw, scoring 7 goals and conceding 3.

Southampton has only managed 1 draw and 5 losses in the first 6 rounds, scoring 3 goals while conceding 12, placing them second from the bottom in the league table. In their previous 3 away games, Southampton lost all three, scoring 2 goals and conceding 7.

Although Arsenal still has several injured players, Spanish international Meryino returned in the midweek Champions League match, and Takehiro Tomiyasu is close to returning as well. However, Martin Odegaard, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Kieran Tierney will continue to recover from injuries. For Southampton, starting goalkeeper Bazunu is out for the season, and key defender Stephens is suspended for this match.

Despite the challenges of multi-front competitions, Arsenal has played their last 3 matches at home and won all three. This season, aside from a 1-1 draw against Brighton, they have won all other 4 home games, though only 2 matches ended without conceding any goals. In the midweek Champions League match, they secured a 2-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain.

Including the EFL Cup, Southampton has conceded in all 8 matches this season, being shut out by opponents 3 times. In their last 4 away games, they failed to win within regular time and conceded an average of 3 goals per game.

In the last 10 encounters between the two teams, Arsenal has a dominant record of 4 wins, 4 draws, and 2 losses. Since the 2001-02 season, Arsenal has remained unbeaten at home against Southampton in both Premier League and FA Cup matches, with their two home losses coming in the 2014-15 season and the 2016-17 EFL Cup.

In terms of strength and recent head-to-head records, Arsenal completely dominates Southampton, with the only disadvantage possibly being the potential physical strain from a congested fixture schedule. However, even if Odegaard continues to be absent, Kai Havertz has scored in 3 consecutive matches, providing a significant assurance for Arsenal’s victory. With minimal points difference among top teams, Arsenal’s main goal is to maintain their current position, although a win could also push them to the top.

Given Southampton’s weak attack and defense, their chances of securing their first away win of the season are slim. Any points gained would be considered a minor upset.

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