Southampton Vs Arsenal
Thursday 25 June 2020 – 18:00 Kick-Off
English Premier League
Pick: Over 2.5 Goals
Odds: 5/6
Bookmaker: BetVictor
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 22 June 2020)
Preview: Can Southampton, winners on their return to league action recently, add to Arsenal’s woes at St Mary’s on Thursday? The visitors desperate to avoid a third consecutive defeat since the resumption.
English Premier League Betting at 22Bet
Table of Contents
Southampton Preview – Ings can inspire Saints to further spoils?
The Saints (14th – W11 D4 L15) had hit something of a roadblock prior to the league’s suspension in early March, when a run of five defeats in seven games resulted in them falling back to within seven points of the relegation zone. Any hint of them potentially dwelling on this lull in form was quickly dispelled upon their return to action, though, easing to a very comfortable 3-0 win at Carrow Road over bottom side Norwich City on Friday.
With an extra day of recovery over their upcoming opponents, manager Ralph Hasenhuttl will be confident of his team’s ability to reproduce a similar level of performance when Arsenal visit St Mary’s. The break served one man in particular well judging by his performance last time out, with Danny Ings netting his 17th league goal of the season to move him two behind Jamie Vardy in the Golden Boot race.
The former Liverpool man will fancy his chances of adding to his tally here after scoring eight times at St Mary’s in 2019/20 – a figure that amounts to 50% of his team’s goals scored in home fixtures so far, where their record stands out for being the worst in the entire top-flight (W4 D2 L9). Moreover, Southampton have lost three of the last four matches played at their ground, beating only 19th-placed Aston Villa in that time.
Arsenal Preview – Arteta’s Gunners rebuild bigger than he imagined?
From an eight game unbeaten league run to losing successive matches. Arsenal (10th – W9 D13 L8) hadn’t lost a Premier League fixture in 2020, a record spanning four wins and four draws up until COVID-19 brought a halt to proceedings in March. That has dramatically changed in the short time they’ve been back, losing back-to-back games at Man City and Brighton since the resumption to lose further ground in the race to qualify for Europe.
Any lingering hopes of making the top-four appear all but gone now, with Chelsea in fourth eleven points better off than Mikel Arteta’s beleaguered men. The Spaniard visibly irritable following Saturday’s 2-1 defeat in Brighton, lamenting a lack of focus in the closing stages of a contest Nicolas Pepe had given them the advantage with a sublime finish, only for some familiar defensive frailties to come to the fore late on.
Arteta lost his goalkeeper during the Brighton encounter, with what looked a bad injury, which means a run of games for Emiliano Martinez who isn’t even into double figures for appearances despite being at the club since 2012. In the meantime Arsenal go in search of a morale boosting win, despite not managing one in their previous seven away games (D5 L2) and only twice all season (W2 D8 L5) – only Norwich recording fewer.
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Southampton Vs Arsenal Betting Advice
In another clear indication of where this current team are in most people’s estimations, Arsenal are not even favourites to win away to Southampton. The fact that it makes complete sense is even more damning. Southampton will be confident after an easy win first time out since the restart, which is in contrast to an Arsenal side seeking to avoid a third successive defeat inside eight days.
Southampton Vs Arsenal – Key Facts
- No team has registered fewer points from home games in this season’s Premier League than Southampton (14 points – W4 D2 L9).
- Only rock-bottom Norwich City have won fewer away games than Arsenal (W2 D8 L5) this season, with The Gunners without an away win in their last seven attempts (D5 L2).
- Four of the last five league meetings featured both teams on the scoresheet, including each of the previous two staged at Southampton’s St Mary’s stadium.
The draw holds some appeal. Southampton still posses the poorest home record in the league while Arsenal have won only twice on their travels, drawing eight times. Goals appeal more, however. Over 2.5 Goals has landed in six of Southampton’s last nine league games and in five of Arsenal’s last seven. The pair also producing five goals between them during last season’s corresponding fixture.
Best Betting Odds – Southampton Vs Arsenal
Southampton – 17/10 (Unibet)
Draw – 5/2 (Betway)
Arsenal – 17/10 (Unibet)
