Southampton v Arsenal: Gunners attacking prowess to outweigh defensive frailties

Sunday’s Premier League football begins at St Mary’s when Southampton play host to Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger's side rounded off their Europa League group stage campaign with a stunning 6-0 win against BATE Borisov on Thursday night, but it is the pursuit of Premier League points that will take priority this weekend.

With just one win in their last five fixtures, the Saints will be determined to get back to winning ways when they welcome the Gunners to Hampshire, and Mauricio Pellegrino’s side can draw some encouragement from their recent record in the league in this fixture.

GLYN KIRK

Arsenal were 2-0 winners when they visited St Mary’s in this competition last season, but that was the north Londoners’ first win in six matches against the Saints on their travels in the Premier League.

Wenger’s men suffered a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of Manchester United last weekend and their away record this term is unlikely to offer much encouragement ahead of this tussle, for the Gunners have won just two of their seven Premier League matches on the road so far this season.

That being said, Arsenal scored seven goals without reply on two visits to St Mary’s last term – including a fantastic 5-0 victory in the FA Cup fourth round – and are chalked up as dabblebet’s 19/20 (1.95) favourites to take all three points from this renewal, while the same firm go 9/4 (3.25) that the visitors win without conceding for a third successive time at St Mary’s.

Southampton have been beaten in only one of their last four matches on their own patch and Pellegrino’s charges can be backed at 3/1 (4.0) with dabblebet to claim victory against the Gunners, whilst the draw is priced at 13/5 (3.60); it is worth noting, though, that just one of the last nine matches between these rivals has ended all square.

Arsenal have found the net in each of their last 12 matches in domestic competition and dabblebet go 4/6 (1.67) that there are goals at both ends in this game, while the same firm offer 3/4 (1.75) that there are at least three goals scored here - which looks enticing as 10 of Southampton’s 15 Premier League goals have come on their own patch

Despite their struggles on the road so far this season, Arsenal should be strong enough to see off the out-of-sorts Saints, but the defensive deficiencies that were evident in the defeat against Manchester United last weekend are a major cause for concern for fans of the Gunners; value, therefore, may lie in backing the visitors to win – but with both teams scoring – at a generous 5/2 (3.50) when these two teams meet at St Mary’s on Sunday.

Both teams to score and Arsenal to win at 5/2 (3.50) for a 1pt stake with dabblebet

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