Tonda Eckert’s Southampton side are the sole surviving Championship club left in this season’s FA Cup, although Port Vale are the lowest-ranked side of the remaining contenders. It has been five full decades since the Saints last tasted FA Cup success, but their bogey team-like form against upcoming opponents Arsenal should fill them with a bit of confidence.
More so, their overall form heading into this game reads unbeaten in 14 games, including 11 wins in that period across all competitions. Southampton have also come into this part of the tournament courtesy of their narrow win over another Premier League side in Fulham, although the Arsenal test will be a challenging prospect.
Mikel Arteta will certainly remember Southampton for two big reasons. The first is that the Saints were the team that ended their FA Cup title defence in the 2020/21 season, while the other stems from the 2022/23 season, when a draw against Southampton ultimately ended all hopes of a title push.
However, ahead of this upcoming meeting, Arteta’s men are placed much stronger in the Premier League title race, and they are hungry to stamp their authority in domestic competitions. More importantly, they had only lost the EFL final to Manchester City two weeks ago before the international break.
Arteta’s charges will be eager to show that the Wembley final was a one-off game, although there were plenty of criticisms over their performances there. The players will be eager to bounce back and make it back to Wembley again via the FA Cup, as they seek a place in the competition’s semi-finals.
Tonda Eckert does not have too many injury issues to contend with, as Mads Roerslev is the only confirmed absentee, but Wellington and Jay Robinson are doubtful for this clash. The big blow comes in the form of a double suspension for midfield metronome Flynn Downes and playmaker Kuryu Matsuki following an accumulation of yellow cards.
Alex McCarthy is also a big doubt with a wrist injury, and there are chances that those deemed doubtful with injury issues might stay out of contention. Eckert will deploy his regular shape, comprising a back four, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Jack Stephens reprising the central defensive roles.
Shea Charles could continue in the middle of the pitch, while the suspended Downes might be replaced by Oriol Romeu. Cyle Larin is likely to lead the line, with Finn Azaz likely to feature in the central attacking role, and Tom Fellows and Leo Scienza in the wide attacking roles.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Peretz; Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Manning; Romeu, Charles; Fellows, Azaz, Scienza; Larin
The Gunners were in the media headlines for most of the two-week international break with the portrayal that their players were falling like flies owing to a raft of withdrawals from their respective national teams. At least ten players pulled out from international duty, with Noni Madueke and Piero Hincapie suffering knocks during their games for England and Ecuador, respectively; the latter is ruled out for Saturday.
Madueke’s injury is not thought to be serious, with both Thomas Tuchel and Mikel Arteta stating it is a matter of days. Should he not be able to participate against Southampton, and the Arsenal boss feels the need to rest Bukayo Saka ahead of the midweek UEFA Champions League game, it could be an opportunity for teenage prodigy Max Dowman to stake his claim on the right wing.
Arteta is also wary of the minor problems with his key centre-backs, meaning this could be a chance to pair Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori in the middle, with Ben White and Myles Lewis-Skelly likely to play as full-backs. Jurrien Timber is back in contention, although Arteta might preserve him for the Champions League clash with Sporting CP.
Martin Odegaard is also back in contention, and he might start this clash against Southampton, considering he needs time on the pitch to get back to his best. Christian Norgaard is highly likely to start in midfield, with Martin Zubimendi likely to partner him, while Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus will complete the attacking set-up against Southampton.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Arrizabalaga; White, Mosquera, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly; Zubimendi, Nørgaard; Dowman, Odegaard, Martinelli; Jesus
The young defender has been in the news throughout this international break amid links to Manchester United. Those links further emphasised that he might be unhappy with life under Mikel Arteta owing to a lack of minutes this term, and the upcoming trip to Southampton could be a great chance for Lewis-Skelly to convince his manager of bigger things.
With Arsenal in a bit of a spot with defensive injuries, Arteta will hope to help Lewis-Skelly find the kind of form he displayed this time last season. This upcoming FA Cup clash is a great chance for Lewis-Skelly to get his bearings right and perform at the level that deserves a place in a title- and cup-chasing team like Arsenal.
Southampton could be another one of those teams this season that met Arsenal during an incredible unbeaten run. The level at which the Gunners are playing makes it extremely difficult to predict an upset for the Saints, which makes Arsenal the overwhelming favourites.
Arsenal will be hurting from their cup final defeat two weeks ago, and Mikel Arteta will want to kick-start the end-of-season run-in in top style against Southampton. The Gunners are favourites to reach the FA Cup semi-finals with a convincing victory at St. Mary’s, which will serve as a good springboard for their upcoming Champions League and Premier League games ahead.
