Southampton v Arsenal
Wednesday, 19:45
Southampton
Claude Puel has done a decent job at Southampton this season, but his future at the club could rest on how well his team performs in their last four games of the season.
The Saints can finish as high as eighth or as low as 16th. A bottom-half finish could be enough to seal the fate of the former Nice manager, with rumours suggesting that the club hierarchy are considering his future.
It's true that Southampton's Premier League campaign has been rather underwhelming, with the side struggling to find any consistency this season, yet Puel did guide them to the EFL Cup final. He's inherited a weaker squad than previous managers enjoyed, which has lacked firepower for much of the season.
Charlie Austin could return against Arsenal to help to solve that problem, while the defender Matt Targett is another player in contention. Virgil can Dijk remains out.
Arsenal
The Gunners gave themselves hope of finishing in the top-four with a win over Manchester United on Sunday.
Arsenal have a game in hand on Manchester City and two on Liverpool, but can afford no mistakes in their remaining four matches. Even if they were to claim maximum points, Arsenal could still fall just short of what's required.
That puts a lot of pressure on the club over the next two games which will both be played away from home. Arsenal have not won consecutive games away from home since early October, when they followed a victory at Hull with a win at Burnley.
Laurent Koscielny is a doubt for the trip to Southampton, which is a worry at a time when Arsenal are playing with three central defenders and already have Shkodran Mustafi injured. There is better news regarding Granit Xhaka, with the midfielder expected to be fit on Wednesday night.
Ref Watch
Jon Moss will officiate. He's been quite busy of late, showing six yellow cards in the match between Crystal Palace and Spurs, before topping that total with seven when Everton played Chelsea.
Match Odds
Arsenal are the favourites at 2.08, with Southampton at 3.80 and the draw at 3.85.
Arsene Wenger's team have already won at St Mary's this season, beating Southampton 5-0, but it's worth noting that the Saints put out quite a weak side that day, in a game played just a few days after their EFL Cup semi-final victory away at Liverpool.
Arsenal haven't won at Southampton in the Premier League since 2003. Their last five visits have seen them draw three times and lose twice, making the price of another draw looking very attractive.
Over/Under 2.5 Goals
Over 2.5 goals is favoured at 1.77, with unders out at 2.24.
That's perhaps a surprise when you consider that Southampton's last two games have finished 0-0, which includes a weekend trip to Anfield. Arsenal have also been keeping things tight at both ends, with their last four games all producing less than three goals.
To Score
Alexis Sanchez leads the betting at [2.33], but has not found the net in the three games since scoring the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
One of the problems that both teams have had this season is the lack of a reliable goalscorer, which is a good reason to give this market a swerve.
Recommended Bets
Back the draw at 3.85
Back under 2.5 goals at 2.24
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