Sub-edited by Caspar Fusco
Arsenal head into Saturday’s fixture against a struggling and winless Southampton side as heavy favourites, with the Gunners the in-form side in the Premier League. In contrast, Russell Martin finds himself under growing pressure with his team taking just a single point from their first six.
Martin was reasonably cheerful with the press, stressing that he is blocking out the murmurs around his club. He said, “I genuinely don’t listen to any of it, I think we have enough noise in our own minds as managers.”
The Saints will be without captain, Jack Stephens, following a two-game extension to his red card ban, after his remarks towards Stuart Atwell following his dismissal. Martin said, “Jack’s really accepting that he made a mistake and he asked for an in-person hearing so that he could apologise.”
Embed from Getty ImagesSouthampton will also be without Gavin Bazunu, Kamaldeen Sulemana and William Smallbone, with all three no closer to returns.
Mikel Arteta’s will not be short of their own losses, with Martin Odegaard headlining those out injured for tomorrow’s match. Takehiro Tomiyasu has returned to training, with his availability unclear.
Heading into the international break, Arteta said, “I Pray that everybody is going to be fine because the last one was very difficult to handle.” The Arsenal manager will not want a repeat of the last international break’s woes.
Embed from Getty ImagesAaron Ramsdale will make his first return to the Emirates since sealing a switch to the Saints. Arteta reinstated how grateful he was for the Englishmen’s services and how tough it was to let him go. He said, “Circumstances changed because this is an elite sport, and it was difficult to deal with that situation.”
In their previous two meetings, both resulted in draws, with Southampton ultimately being relegated and Arsenal narrowly missing out on the title with both Martin and Arteta wanting to change past fortunes.
