Arsenal welcome Southampton to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday in full knowledge that their hopes of taking a Champions League spot next season are all but over in the Premier League.
Tottenham's 2-1 victory over Stoke City on Saturday means that the Gunners trail their north London rivals by 16 points, with just 21 still in play before the end of the campaign.
With Chelsea also ahead in the table, the Europa League now looks like Arsenal's best bet to make the Champions League, but they will nevertheless hope for a win against the relegation-troubled Saints.
| Game | Arsenal vs Southampton |
| Date | Sunday, April 8 |
| Time | 14:15 BST / 9:15 ET |
| Stream (US only) | fuboTV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| NBC | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event and it can be streamed live online using Sky Go.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Premier League/ Main Event | Sky Go |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Arsenal players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Cech, Macey |
| Defenders | Holding, Mustafi, Chambers, Bellerin, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal, Nelson, Kolasinac |
| Midfielders | Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Elneny, Wilshere, Ramsey, Ozil, Iwobi |
| Forwards | Welbeck, Lacazette, Nketiah, Aubameyang |
Arsenal will have to make do without Henrikh Mkhitaryan at the weekend, due to an injury the Armenian picked up in midweek in the Europa League.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang returns after being ineligible against CSKA Moscow, while David Ospina and Santi Cazorla continue on the sidelines.
Potential Arsenal starting XI: Cech; Bellerin, Mustafi, Chambers, Monreal; Elneny, Ramsey; Ozil, Wilshere, Welbeck; Aubameyang.
| Position | Southampton players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Forster, McCarthy, Taylor |
| Defenders | Soares, Pied, Bertrand, Stephens, Hoedt, Yoshida |
| Midfielders | Lemina, Davis, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg, Boufal, Long, Redmond, |
| Forwards | Tadic, Gabbiadini, Austin, Carrillo. |
Mario Lemina is Southampton's biggest doubt for Sunday's clash, and will face a fitness test after recovering from a virus.
Potential Southampton starting XI: McCarthy; Cedric, Stephens, Hoedt, Bertrand; Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg; Tadic, Long, Austin.
Betting & Match Odds
Arsenal are huge favourites according to dabblebet, who offer odds of 6/10 on the hosts to win, while the Saints are priced at 9/2. A draw is available at 16/5.
Match Preview
It has been another frustrating season for Arsenal fans, who are bracing themselves to finish outside of the top four for the second campaign running.
Arsene Wenger's role on the bench has once again come under the spotlight, and while the 'Wenger Out' calls have been more muted than in 2016-17 the veteran manager needs a strong finish to dispel doubts over his future.
Luckily, a strong Europa League run has helped to deflect attention from the Gunners' domestic woes; well behind Spurs in the race for fourth, they look set for a semi-final spot after dispatching CSKA 4-1 in the type of performance that has been in such short supply in the Premier League.
But Wenger will not go down without a fight, and is likely to play a full-strength team against Southampton as he will do until a top-four place is mathematically impossible.
The Saints' situation is rather more serious. With just seven games left to play they languish in 18th, three points shy of Crystal Palace and the final safe spot.
Mark Hughes' men do hold two games in hand over the south Londoners, but that may not bring too much solace given that Southampton have won just five times all season, and are on a run of four straight defeats.
The last time they tasted victory was way back in January, and it is hard to see that changing on Sunday against an Arsenal team that is playing with a new confidence thanks to their European exploits.
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