Having sailed through our final Europa League group-stage game in serene fashion on Thursday night, a key period is upon us.
With four games in the space of 10 days, including the small matter of a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Tottenham, this is the stress test for our 22-match unbeaten run.
First up is a trip to St Mary's to face a Southampton team playing their home game under new manager, Ralph Hasenhuttl. That will prove a challenge in itself, let alone with the defensive issues we suddenly face.
Having lost the unfortunate Rob Holding for between six and nine months wit a knee injury, we will also have to do without the suspended Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi.
The return of Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal could scarcely be better timed as we head into a festive schedule that tests even the most opulent of squads.
Read on for a comprehensive match preview, Emery's thoughts on the game, the latest team news, stats, and analysis of the opposition.
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
