Southampton vs Arsenal: What time does it start, what TV channel is it on, where can I watch it?

Arsenal head to St Mary’s in midweek on the back of a comfortable victory over Manchester United on Sunday afternoon. Their hosts did Arsene Wenger’s side a favour in the same round of fixtures, by holding Liverpool, who Arsenal are desperately trying to peg back in the race for the top four, to a goalless draw at Anfield.

An unusual atmosphere surrounded the match against United at Emirates, with the home team knowing their destiny lies in the hands of the teams above them, while Mourinho had already conceded that the Europa League was his side’s most realistic route into the Champions League, leading him to rest some players. The United boss has since conceded that their top four hopes are over and, although Arsenal have given themselves the slightest glimmer of hope, their chances are bleak.

If the Gunners are to avoid dropping out of the Champions League for the first time in Arsene Wenger’s 21 year managerial reign, every single game is an absolute must win, which continues on the South coast against Southampton. The main motivation for Claude Puel, whose team are in no danger of going down or finishing in the European places, will be to prove to the Saints hierarchy that he is the man to take the club forward.

Questions have been raised over his managerial ability in some sections of the fanbase, which is somewhat surprising considering the Frenchman has guided them to the EFL Cup final and will secure a stable Premier League position, albeit lower than their 6th placed finish last season. He did not help his case by deploying cautious tactics against Liverpool in their last fixture, despite having nothing to lose.

Puel did give Southampton fans a boost this week by announcing that their wanted captain Virgil Van Dijk will remain at the club beyond the summer transfer window. They miss him at the heart of their defence and have felt the absence of top-scorer Charlie Austin up front, too; but with no added injuries, we can expect to see a similar line-up to the one used in their last fixture. Arsenal could be without midfielder Granit Xhaka, who has suffered a flair-up of the ankle injury which looked set to keep him out of the weekend’s visit of United. Otherwise, they too are likely to field a similar line-up, with the possibility of the return of Shkodran Mustafi to the squad.

Southampton vs Arsenal kicks off at 7:45pm on Wednesday 10th May.

The match will not be televised live.

Aaron Ramsey. He won the man of the match award in his last outing and looked at ease next to Xhaka, who could well miss out on Wednesday.

The Welshman will need to build on his impressive performance in order to win over the growing number of Arsenal fans who have become frustrated with his inconsistent performances when fit. On his day, he is a great all-rounder and appears to suit Arsenal’s new formation.

Southampton have won 16 of the 39 meetings against Arsenal at St Mary’s. The Gunners have won 14.

Ian Wright bagged a hat-trick in Arsenal’s 0-4 away demolition of Southampton in March 1994.

Manolo Gabbiadini. The Italian striker has been an impressive signing for the Saints since joining in January, scoring 6 goals and registering the best goals to minute ratio at the club (106). Arsenal have looked more defensively stable since switching to a three at the back, but even in their recent win over Manchester United, showed that they do allow opportunities. Gabbiadini is certainly Southampton’s biggest threat.

open image in gallery

Southampton 0 Arsenal 5
FA Cup, January 2017

Arsenal 0 Southampton 2
EFL Cup, November 2016

Arsenal 2 Southampton 1
Premier League, September 2016

Arsenal: WWWLW

Southampton: WLLDD

Southampton to win: 13/5

Arsenal to win: 26/25

Draw: 27/10