Second place is firmly within Arsenal’s grasp right now thanks to a crucial win against Manchester City on Monday, with a chance to catch and pass Leicester City if the league leaders slip up in their own match. First things first, though: The Gunners need to stretch their own winning streak to four games and take down Southampton.
Arsenal vs. Southampton 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
High-flying Arsenal are set to take on struggling Southampton, but they can’t let their guard down.
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That should be pretty doable for Arsene Wenger’s team. Southampton are in a serious tailspin right now, having lost five of their last six all-competitions matches and only having scored three goals in that run. Worse, their defense has been dreadful, shipping fourteen goals in that time. They desperately need to stop this skid before it gets any worse -- and in the chaotic storm that this Premier League season has been, there’s zero reason to think that they can’t stop this poor form by beating Arsenal, because “why not” has become “that happened” this year.
Key player -- Mesut Özil (Arsenal)
Özil has been arguably the best playmaker in the world this season, and probably the best player in the Premier League, period. He can do very little wrong right now, and against a midfield as shaky as Southampton’s has been he could be set for one heck of a big day. He’s at 15 assists in the league so far this season -- at the rate he’s going and with how this matchup looks, Özil could have 17 or 18 by the end of the day.
Key matchup -- Sadio Mané (Southampton) vs. Nacho Monreal (Arsenal)
Mané has been one of the new Southampton players to keep playing relatively well through their recent struggles, but the problems their team as a whole have had have left him little to show for it. Still, his pace and technical skill represent a huge matchup issue for Monreal, who struggled for long stretches of the match against Manchester City on Monday. He’s going to need to be much, much better in this one if he’s going to keep Mané in check.
Southampton injuries and suspensions
Out: Jay Rodriguez, Florin Gardos, Fraser Forster In doubt: Maarten Stekelenburg
Arsenal injuries and suspensions
Out: Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla, Francis Coquelin, Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky, Danny Welbeck In doubt: Mikel Arteta
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 7:45 p.m. local
Venue: St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton, England
TV: NBC (U.S. - English), Telemundo (U.S. - Spanish), Sportsnet regional networks (Canada), BT Sport 1 (U.K.)
Online: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), BT Sport Live Streaming (U.K.)
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