Key occasions
Southampton make 5 adjustments after the 2-0 Championship win over Oxford United. Nathan Wood, Cam Bragg, Caspar Jander, Léo Scienza and Ross Stewart are available in for Cameron Archer, Shea Charles and Cyle Larin, who’re benched, and Flynn Downes and captain Jack Stephens, who miss out altogether.
Arsenal make seven adjustments following the Carabao Cup last, probably the most eye-catching of which is a begin for 16-year-old Max Dowman. Cristhian Mosquera, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Christian Nørgaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and captain Martin Ødegaard additionally step up; William Saliba, Viktor Gyökeres and Martín Zubimendi are on the bench, whereas Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Piero Hincapié and Leandro Trossard are all absent.
The groups
Southampton: Peretz, Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Wood-Gordon, Manning, Bragg, Jander, Fellows, Azaz, Scienza, Stewart.
Subs: Long, Quarshie, Romeu, Charles, Edozie, Robinson, Archer, Oyekunle, Larin.
Arsenal: Arrizabalaga, White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard, Norgaard, Dowman, Havertz, Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus.
Subs: Raya, Saliba, Gyokeres, Madueke, Calafiori, Zubimendi, Harriman-Annous, O’Neill, Salmon.
Referee: Sam Barrott (West Yorkshire).
Preamble
Their unlucky no-show on the League Cup last aside, Arsenal have taken some stopping this season. Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester United required dramatic late targets to greatest them within the Premier League and … er … that’s it. So on the face of factor, this needs to be a shoo-in for the main membership in England in opposition to second-tier opposition. Especially as Arsenal have received 45 of their final 48 FA Cup ties in opposition to groups from decrease divisions; they’ve received 14 of their final 16 quarter-finals; tonight’s opponents Southampton have misplaced all of their final 5 quarter-finals in opposition to top-flight opposition; and Arsenal are 4 from 5 in opposition to the Saints within the FA Cup, a document that features victory within the 2003 last.
But nothing’s ever that easy within the FA Cup. Arsenal might have that 80 p.c document in opposition to Southampton on this competitors, nevertheless it’s Saints who received the final assembly, 1-0 in January 2021. And whereas Arsenal are this season’s type group in England, Saints aren’t on a nasty roll both, unbeaten in 14 video games, having received six of their final seven. Fold in the truth that Arsenal’s victory at St Mary’s on the ultimate day of final season was solely their seventh win in 18 visits, at a venue the place they’ve tasted defeat six occasions, and abruptly issues aren’t fairly so crystal clear.
You’d nonetheless anticipate the quadruple- treble-chasing Premier League leaders to prevail tonight; in fact you’d. But the FA Cup is keen on the odd shock, and Arsenal have a vital journey to Sporting Club arising in three days’ time, so that you simply by no means know the way it will pan out. The story begins at 8pm BST. It’s on!
