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Southampton v Arsenal
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Mauricio Pochettino
27 January 2014 Last updated at 12:58 GMT
TEAM NEWS
Southampton are set to welcome back Rickie Lambert and Artur Boruc from respective hamstring and back injuries.
Victor Wanyama (ankle) may return, but Dejan Lovren and Gaston Ramirez are out with ankle problems of their own.
Arsenal look set to reinstate keeper Wojciech Szczesny and Olivier Giroud after their FA Cup win over Coventry.
Aaron Ramsey (thigh), Mikel Arteta (calf) and Thomas Vermaelen (knee) are expected to return to the squad, but Jack Wilshere (ankle) is a doubt.
MATCH PREVIEW
Kicking-off 24 hours before their title rivals represents another chance for Arsenal to stretch their lead at the top of the table and exert more pressure on Manchester City and Chelsea.
Of course the flip side of that is that the Gunners can't afford any slip-ups otherwise the challengers can pounce. Such is life when you're chasing the biggest prize in domestic football.
So far Arsenal have managed to hold their nerve and their form is very good. For the second time this campaign they've put together a run of five consecutive league wins.
Their defence, shot-to-pieces at the Etihad in mid-December , has impressively returned to its miserly best conceding just twice in six league outings.
Olivier Giroud keeps scoring, Santi Cazorla has started scoring. Lukas Podolski is back, Aaron Ramsey is on his way back, as are Thomas Vermaelen and Mikel Arteta.
Arsene Wenger will certainly need all hands on deck for a particularly foreboding February programme when in the space of just 20 days they face four league matches including Liverpool and Manchester United, Liverpool again in the FA Cup, not to mention holders Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Is Arsenal's squad deep enough to handle all that? Certainly many supporters would be more optimistic if there was some transfer activity before the window shuts on Friday night.
When Southampton went to the Emirates in November they were in third place and the subject of many column inches. Defeat that afternoon was the start of a slide that's brought just two wins from 11 games.
Off the field Nicola Cortese has gone while the Italian international Dani Osvaldo has surely played his last game for the club after allegedly head-butting team-mate Jose Fonte.
Of more concern is the long-term future of Mauricio Pochettino, given his strong relationship with outgoing chairman Cortese. Even so I would be very surprised if Southampton don't rediscover their best form in time to match their highest-ever Premier League finish of eighth, and I also fancy them strongly to go all the way in the FA Cup.
More immediately Saints will give Arsenal a thorough test of their title credentials at St Mary's where anything less than three points for the visitors would leave the door ajar for City and Chelsea to capitalise.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/25822287
.
Mauricio Pochettino
27 January 2014 Last updated at 12:58 GMT
TEAM NEWS
Southampton are set to welcome back Rickie Lambert and Artur Boruc from respective hamstring and back injuries.
Victor Wanyama (ankle) may return, but Dejan Lovren and Gaston Ramirez are out with ankle problems of their own.
Arsenal look set to reinstate keeper Wojciech Szczesny and Olivier Giroud after their FA Cup win over Coventry.
Aaron Ramsey (thigh), Mikel Arteta (calf) and Thomas Vermaelen (knee) are expected to return to the squad, but Jack Wilshere (ankle) is a doubt.
MATCH PREVIEW
Kicking-off 24 hours before their title rivals represents another chance for Arsenal to stretch their lead at the top of the table and exert more pressure on Manchester City and Chelsea.
Of course the flip side of that is that the Gunners can't afford any slip-ups otherwise the challengers can pounce. Such is life when you're chasing the biggest prize in domestic football.
So far Arsenal have managed to hold their nerve and their form is very good. For the second time this campaign they've put together a run of five consecutive league wins.
Their defence, shot-to-pieces at the Etihad in mid-December , has impressively returned to its miserly best conceding just twice in six league outings.
Olivier Giroud keeps scoring, Santi Cazorla has started scoring. Lukas Podolski is back, Aaron Ramsey is on his way back, as are Thomas Vermaelen and Mikel Arteta.
Arsene Wenger will certainly need all hands on deck for a particularly foreboding February programme when in the space of just 20 days they face four league matches including Liverpool and Manchester United, Liverpool again in the FA Cup, not to mention holders Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Is Arsenal's squad deep enough to handle all that? Certainly many supporters would be more optimistic if there was some transfer activity before the window shuts on Friday night.
When Southampton went to the Emirates in November they were in third place and the subject of many column inches. Defeat that afternoon was the start of a slide that's brought just two wins from 11 games.
Off the field Nicola Cortese has gone while the Italian international Dani Osvaldo has surely played his last game for the club after allegedly head-butting team-mate Jose Fonte.
Of more concern is the long-term future of Mauricio Pochettino, given his strong relationship with outgoing chairman Cortese. Even so I would be very surprised if Southampton don't rediscover their best form in time to match their highest-ever Premier League finish of eighth, and I also fancy them strongly to go all the way in the FA Cup.
More immediately Saints will give Arsenal a thorough test of their title credentials at St Mary's where anything less than three points for the visitors would leave the door ajar for City and Chelsea to capitalise.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/25822287