Southampton’s arrival on Saturday (3pm UK) brings the curtain now on a run of seven games in 20 days, during which time we’ve extended our unbeaten run from nine to 15 games - and the omens are strong when it comes to stretching it further.
That’s because in our 24 previous Premier League meetings with the Saints in N5, we have never lost. That's the most a side has faced a specific opponent on home soil without losing in the competition’s history.
You have to go back to November 1987 for the last time they left our corner of north London with a victory, and while Russel Martin’s team are aiming for a first victory back in the elite, Mikel Arteta will be fully focused on heading into the break with our red-hot momentum intact.
Saints search for elusive win
Only Wolves’ inferior goal difference is keeping last season’s Championship play-off winners off the foot of the table as they seek their first win in the Premier League in 20 matches - their worst run in the top-flight since 1969.
A huge turnover of players this summer saw 25 arrivals and 25 departures and understandably Martin is still trying to find the right formula. Narrow losses to Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest started the season before conceding three times in three of their last four games in losses to Brentford, Manchester United and a disappointing display at Bournemouth on Monday night. Their solitary point was taken at the expense of fellow new boys Ipswich Town a fortnight ago, but that saw the Tractor Boys net a last-minute equaliser.
That modest haul is largely down to profligacy in front of goal. xG stats show that Southampton should have netted nearly five more goals than their current total of three, one of the reasons Martin’s team also have the lowest shot-conversion rate this term (4.4%). They have though reached the fourth round of the League Cup courtesy of a 5-3 win over Cardiff City and overcoming Everton on penalties.
What the managers say
Arteta: "Last week the tough schedule that we have was proven and any opponent can cause you problems. When you think the game is under control, it can get out of your hands immediately, so it was probably a good thing to happen the way it ended up.
"We know the quality of Southampton and in my opinion, they’re a team who are extremely well-coached. They have a very clear philosophy, and they’ve been very unlucky not to have many more points because there were moments in the games when they were far better than the opponent and in some moments the results got away from them. It will be very tough."
Martin: "What Mikel and his coaching staff have done with that team is incredible. With that club and the identity of it and the feeling of it, but they had some bumps in the road to get there and some real pain early on to get there. They stuck with it and they gave it time and patience and perseverance. They have such a clear way of doing things.
"I think we have real clarity in what we want to do. It's not like a completely different style to Arsenal, a lot of similarities, of course, but very different. I think they're a real testament to perseverance, patience and clarity on what it can bring you. We have to make sure we become really, really difficult to play against and even more clear and stronger in our way."
Team news
Jurrien Timber came off at half-time of our win over PSG and alongside Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu continues to be assessed ahead of Saturday afternoon.
Arteta is hopeful that Oleksandr Zinchenko could return from his calf issue after the international break, but Martin Odegaard doesn't have a timescale for his comeback from an ankle injury.
After sitting out the last three matches following his red card against Manchester United last month Jack Stephens has been handed a further two-game ban after accepting an FA charge for improper conduct following the incident, and won’t travel to north London.
Will Smallbone has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, Kamaldeen Sulemana has yet to appear this season due to an ankle issue. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazuna is a long-term casualty following Achilles tendon surgery.
Talking tactics
Adrian Clarke, writing in the official matchday programme: Martin began this campaign lining his side up in last season’s 3-5-2, but has since moved to a 4-2-3-1, the formation I'd expect to see. They are usually industrious and well-organised out of possession, and are very good at breaking up play.
The Saints want to pass out short from the goalkeeper and move the ball fluidly through the lines. Comfort in possession is their core strength, with only Manchester City boasting a better pass accuracy after six matches, and when they get it right, Southampton can slice through anyone.
But by playing out from the back, they take risks in dangerous areas and the Saints have regularly gifted goals when their distribution has gone awry. If our pressing game is sharp, this is an area Mikel Arteta will feel he can succeed.
The other standout issue is a lack of goals. Adam Armstrong, Ben Brereton-Diaz, Ross Stewart and Cameron Archer are proven scorers in the second tier, but have found it much harder to impact games at Premier League level. However, 18-year-old right winger Tyler Dibling [above] has drawn comparisons with Jack Grealish and Emile Smith Rowe for his outstanding balance and footwork, and his form means he must be considered a danger man.
Facts and stats
Only against Fulham (a current run of 31) have we had a longer unbeaten home run in our league history than against Southampton (28).
We are winless in our last three Premier League meetings with the Saints, drawing both games the last time we faced in 2022/23. We last endured a longer winless streak against them in the league between 1982 and 1984 (a run of 5).
Southampton have won just one of their last nine Premier League trips to London, and lost 82 of their 139 away games in the capital in the competition (59%), the highest loss rate of any of the 12 sides to have played 100+ away games in London.
We are unbeaten in their last 40 Premier League home games against promoted sides. Only Chelsea (43 between 2001-2015) and Manchester City (41 between 2007-2020) have had longer such runs.
We have won 399 home games in the Premier League, and would be the second side to reach 400 in the competition after Manchester United (428).
We are looking to score a goal from a corner in four consecutive Premier League games for the first time, with Liverpool in 2022 being the last side to do so in the competition.
Kai Havertz has scored six goals in his last six league home games, scoring in each of his last four at Emirates Stadium. The last player to score in five straight home league games for us was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in September 2019.
Raheem Sterling has scored eight league goals against Southampton, only netting more against Bournemouth (10), Watford and Newcastle (9 each).
Match officials
A new face will take charge of us on Saturday as Tony Harrington is handed a Gunners game for the first time, despite refereeing 22 times in the Premier League since December 2021. Three of those have come this season, when he dished out 11 yellow cards and awarded two penalties.
Harrington has refereed Southampton three times, which has seen them claim a win, draw and loss but this weekend will see him oversee them for the first occasion since September 2022.
Referee: Tony Harrington
Assistants: Darren Cann, Derek Eaton
Fourth official: Josh Smith
VAR: Michael Salisbury
Assistant VAR: Ian Hussin
Saints' recent visits
While they may never have tasted victory on our patch in the Premier League, Southampton have drawn on three of their last four trips to Emirates Stadium, including their most recent visit in April 2023 that put a huge dent in our title ambitions.
Carlos Alcaraz put them in front on 28 seconds, before ex-Gunner Theo Walcott doubled the lead. Gabriel Martinelli pulled one back, but Duje Caleta-Car restored the two-goal advantage going into the 88th minute. Then, Odegaard netted before Bukayo Saka grabbed a 90th-minute equaliser to make it 3-3.
The season before saw us run out 3-0 victors thanks to goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Odegaard and Gabriel, but we were held to a point in our previous two encounters: Walcott haunted us again by scoring in a 1-1 draw in December 2020, while a last-minute Lacazette goal snatched a 2-2 draw in November 2019.
Live coverage
Our matchday show returns on Saturday an hour before kick-off with Nicole Holliday and Sharky in the hot seat, who will be joined by former Gunner Justin Hoyte as well as Superbowl winner Jay Ajayi and some special guests linked to our collaboration with Aries...
They'll take you behind the scenes to the stadium announcer’s booth at Emirates Stadium, and test your knowledge with our Question of the Day: which player speaks the most languages?
Then when kick-off arrives, commentary is provided by Dan Roebuck and Adrian Clarke to ensure you don't miss out on all the key details.
You can also find out which broadcasters are showing the game live wherever you are in the world.
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