Overview
After a 0-2 defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final before the international break, Arsenal returned to play with the sole goal of participating in Wembley.
Nico O'Reilly's double sealed the victory for Man City, thereby prolonging Mikel Arteta's nearly 6-year title drought at the Emirates. However, Arsenal can completely return to the right direction in the tournament they won most recently in 2020.
The FA Cup is still the only major title under Arteta to date. When aiming for a ticket to the semi-finals - where they can rematch Man City - Arsenal will have to overcome Southampton, an opponent in high form.
Tonda Eckert's team is unbeaten in their last 12 matches in the Championship, including 9 wins. The streak of form lasting from mid-January helped them rise from 15th to sixth place in the rankings.
Southampton also created a surprise at the FA Cup when they defeated Fulham - the Premier League representative - in round 5 right at Craven Cottage.
Ross Stewart's penalty goal in the 90+1 minute brought victory to Southampton, marking the first time they have defeated a Premier League team in the FA Cup since the victory over Sheffield United in March 1963.
After that, Southampton continued to maintain their excitement with a draw at West Brom's stadium, before winning three consecutive victories against Coventry, Norwich and most recently Oxford United with a score of 2-0, thanks to early goals from Cyle Larin and Shea Charles.
Although entering this match with the best form of the season, Southampton will have to face an Arsenal that is injured after the defeat in the Carabao Cup final and is very determined to continue the title race.
The recent final was also only the third time since 2000 that Arsenal has not scored in a major final, although they are the first team since Liverpool in 2012 to hit the woodwork twice in a Carabao Cup final.
Arteta will expect his players to perform better when facing a Championship team. In addition to the Carabao Cup final, Arsenal's form in the Premier League recently is almost perfect, with victories against Tottenham, Chelsea, Brighton and Everton, helping them create a 9-point gap with Man City.
Gabriel Martinelli is Arsenal's most outstanding player in the FA Cup this season since round 3, with 4 goals and 1 assist. Six of his most recent goals in the league were against lower-ranked opponents.
Arsenal will not have Eze's service in this match, as the player wearing number 10 has withdrawn from the national team due to a calf injury and is expected to be out of action near the end of April.
Madueke, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were also not called up to the England national team in March and are still being assessed for fitness. Martin Odegaard, Gabriel and William Saliba are also in a similar situation.
On Southampton's side, Mads Roerslev is the only long-term absentee, while Leo Scienza, Welington and Jay Robinson will have to undergo fitness checks before their ability to play is determined.
Head-to-head record
Last season, Southampton and Arsenal stood at two extremes in the Premier League. Arsenal finished second after champion Liverpool, while The Saints only won 12 points, ranked last and immediately relegated back to the Championship.
It is not surprising that Arsenal won both encounters. At the Emirates, they won 3-1 thanks to goals from Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, after Cameron Archer opened the score for Southampton.
In the second leg at St Mary's, Arsenal had to wait until the 90th minute to win 2-1, with a decisive goal from Martin Odegaard. Before that, Kieran Tierney and Ross Stewart each scored one goal in two halves.
Score prediction: Southampton 0-1 Arsenal
The match between Southampton and Arsenal takes place at 2:00 AM on April 5th (Vietnam time).
