Having avoided a scare in Europe during the week, Arsenal return to domestic action on Sunday against Southampton as they look to enhance their chances of a top-four finish in the Premier League.
The Gunners have slumped to fifth in the table and sit a point behind Manchester United, but Unai Emery's men are not giving up on sealing a spot in next season's Champions League.
Emery's team managed to come from behind against BATE Borisov to progress to the Europa League last-16 during the week and will be aiming for another positive result when they host a Saints team trying to claw their way out of the bottom three.
| Game | Arsenal vs Southampton |
| Date | Sunday, February 24 |
| Time | 2.05pm GMT/9.05am ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be streamed on NBC Sports Gold.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | NBC Sports Live |
The game will not be broadcast live in the United Kingdom, but it can be followed live on Goal by clicking here .
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | N/A |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Arsenal players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Cech, Leno, Martinez |
| Defenders | Koscielny, Lichtsteiner, Jenkinson, Sokratis, Kolasinac, Medley, Pleguezuelo, Mustafi |
| Midfielders | Elneny, Ramsey, Torreira, Maitland-Niles, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Willock |
| Forwards | Ozil, Iwobi, Saka, Lacazette, Aubameyang, Nketiah, Suarez, Mkhitaryan |
Rob Holding, Danny Welbeck and Hector Bellerin are still out injured, but Ainsley Maitland-Niles needs to be assessed after coming down with illness.
Laurent Koscielny was substituted early against BATE because of a slight injury concern and takes his place on the bench against the Saints as Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos start in defence.
Aaron Ramsey is recalled to the starting XI while Mesut Ozil is back on the bench despite his role in the victory over BATE. Alexandre Lacazette returns to the front of the attack and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is among the substitutes.
Confirmed Arsenal starting XI: Leno, Lichtsteiner, Sokratis, Mustafi, Kolasinac, Torreira, Xhaka, Mkhitaryan, Ramsey, Iwobi, Lacazette.
Bench: Cech, Koscielny, Monreal, Guendouzi, Suarez, Ozil, Aubameyang.
| Position | Southampton squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | McCarthy, Forster, Gunn, Rose |
| Defenders | Vestergaard, Hoedt, Stephens, Yoshida, Bednarek, Targett, Cedric |
| Midfielders | Lemina, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong, Davis, Redmond, Elyounoussi |
| Forwards | Gabbiadini, Ings, Austin, Long, Gallagher |
Danny Ings, Mario Lemina and Michael Obafemi are still missing through injury, while Scottish midfielder Stuart Armstrong could be back in the team after missing the recent defeat to Burnley.
Confirmed Southampton starting XI: Gunn,Valery, Bednarek, Vestergaard, Stephens, Targett, Hojbjerg, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong, Redmond.
Bench: McCarthy, Bertrand, Yoshida, Slattery, Elyounoussi, Obafemi, Austin.
Betting & Match Odds
Arsenal are favourites at 1/2 with bet365 . A draw is priced at 15/4, while a Southampton victory can be backed at 6/1.
Match Preview
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Arsenal may have secured their place in the last-16 of the Europa League this week, but that will do nothing to ease the pressure on Emery's men as they look to salvage their Premier League campaign.
The inconsistent Gunners have slipped a point behind fourth-placed Manchester United in recent weeks and will be determined to prove they are growing in confidence by recording back-to-back wins for the first time since the start of January.
Mesut Ozil was back dictating his side's attacks against BATE on Thursday after being left out of Arsenal's last three matches and Emery could let the midfielder to keep his place against the Saints.
The German's future in north London looks uncertain amid reports the club want to offload him in the next transfer window, but team-mates Alex Iwobi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos believe the Gunners desperately need him.
"We know what Mesut is like because we see him in training every day," Iwobi told reporters after Thursday's victory.
"He's world class. We scored three goals as a result of him playing. I know if I make a run he has the vision to find me. Hopefully he can keep on playing."
Sokratis added: "Mesut is a fantastic player and when he is fit he is one of the most important players of the team.
“Of course when something is not going good, everybody is there to criticise but we have to see also what Mesut did in the last years for this team.
“All the team, all the players are behind him and we need a good Mesut to go [forward] because we know that he is very important for us."
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