Game Week 16 Predictions: Arsenal to bounce back against troubled Saints?

  Bukayo Saka is finding his rhythm again, James Ward Prowse needs to drive his team as always, they go head to head on Saturday. (Photo cre...

 

Bukayo Saka is finding his rhythm again, James Ward Prowse needs to drive his team as always, they go head to head on Saturday. (Photo credit: Sky Sports)

Arsenal vs Southampton

Emirates Stadium

4:00pm

Arsenal are back where they were, losing freely and quite low on confidence, anyone would fancy playing the Gunners right now on the evidence of their cowardice against Everton.

Arsenal were just some negative goals away from top four just two weeks ago, back to back losses against Manchester United and Everton, both games they were expected to win and the manner of the respective losses shows clearly where Arsenal are as a club.

Southampton are struggling too, the clean sheets have disappeared and they now leak goals for fun, they sit just six points away from Burnley in the relegation zone but the Clarets have a game in hand to close things up.

The Saints play good football, Ralph Hassenheutl demands for the best but they can be their own worst enemies sometimes; the Saints aren’t scoring enough, they have only found the net fourteen times in the league this season from fifteen games, that’s poor for a team that concedes a lot.

The Gunners aren’t any better in front of goal and all that may be down to the form of club captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang who’s goal return has grown thin in recent games. The Gabonese missed sitters against Newcastle and Everton, goals that would have helped the team massively.

Arsenal weren’t expected to lose to Everton on the form of the Toffees, pulling the handbrake after going in front has always been the problem and you can’t look elsewhere but in the direction of the manager.

Mikel Arteta opted to start Granit Xhaka against Everton, weird to say the least considering he’s been away for about eight weeks and allowing Xhaka see out a difficult game like that proved to be Arsenal’s undoing, Arteta needs to explain why he did that.

Emile Smith Rowe has been Arsenal’s source of joy this season, his fitness is under probabilities but he trained on Friday. The Saints are without their two first choice goalkeepers, they will turn to 40 year old former Chelsea and City back up goalkeeper Willy Caballero.

Southampton don’t have much joy against Arsenal on head to head but they did enjoy a 1-0 success in the FA Cup last season, the two teams are bleeding and need result for confidence and momentum ahead of the busy schedule.

Verdict: Both teams to score