Bukayo Saka believes this is Arsenal's year to end Manchester City's reign over the Premier League, ahead of winless Southampton visiting the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. (More Football News)
Arsenal and City are the only unbeaten teams in the Premier League after six matchdays, with both taking 14 points to trail Liver♔pool by a single point at the sum෴mit.
Mikel Arteta's team secured a thrilling 4-2 win over Leicester City last week before seeing off Paris Saint-Germain by a 2-0 scoreline in the C⛄hampions League on Tuesday.
With m♔any tipping Arsenal to again challenge City, particularly after the champions lost midfielder Rodri to a serious knee injury, Saka believes the Gunners have a golden opportunity.
"I don't want to put too much pressure on us but I do think that this is the year," Saka told CBS S🌳ports after the win over PSG.
"I think we've been close the last two years and we're getting closer but this ho🐽pefully will be the year."
Speaking to Amazon Pr𒀰ime, t꧋he 23-year-old later added: "Previous years, I've come runners-up a lot. It's just that spirit in me that I want to win this season and of course, I believe in myself a lot.
"With those two things, it helps. We believe in ourselves, we believe we're a top team. I did tell the boys we have to make a statement when teams are coming to the Emirate🔯s."
Southampton have taken just one ▨point from sixꦍ league games since winning promotion from the Championship, making this the joint-worst start to any league campaign in their history (also one point in the top flight in 1998-99).
They w🐎ere beaten 3-1 by south coast rivals Bournemouth last time out on Monday, leading defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis to slam their performance levels.
"I think it's just about taking ownershi♌p as players, doing your bit and not going inside yourself, not playing a solo game," he 🥀said.
"It's just about sticking together... we cannot be 3-0 down with the quality and characters we've goꦬt in that group, we cannot be. That's obviously including myself."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Arsenal – Kai Havertz
One player who has particularly enjoyed turning out at the Emirates lately is Havertz, who netted against PSG on Tuesday and has also scored six goals i﷽n his last six league games on the ground.
He has netted in four s♒uccessive home Premier League games, with Pierre-Emerick Auওbameyang the last player to score in five straight for the Gunners, in September 2019.
Southampton – Aaron Ramsdale
Former Gunners shot-stopper Ramsdale could bec𒈔ome the ninth goalkeeper to face Arsenal in the Premier League after previously representing them in the competition.
Only one🌱 of the previous eight, Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez, has previously kept a clean sheet in his first such match, doing so in a 3-0 victory at the Emirates in November 202෴0.
MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN
Southampton have actually caused Arsenal problems lately, going unbeaten through the teams' last three Premier League meetings (one win, two draws), with both of their matches in 2022-23 finishing level – ไincluding a 3-3 draw at the Emirates.
However, Saints have visited Arsenal 24 times in the Premier League without ever tasting victory, drawing eight times and losing 16. That is the most a💙ny team has visited another in the competition without winning.
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 28 home league games against Southampton since a 1-0 defeat in November 1987. Only against Fulham (a current run of 31) have they had a longer unbeaten home run in their league historꦉy.
Across 2024-25 and their relegation season in 2022-23, Southampton are now winless in 19 Premier League matches, drawing ꦗfive and losing 14. Only once in their top-flight history have they endured a longer such run, going 20 games without a victory between August and December 1969.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are unbeaten in their last 40 Premier League home games against promoted clubs, winning 35 and drawing five. Only Chelsea (43 between ༒2001 and 2015) and City (41 between 2007 and 2020) have had longer such runs in the competition's hi🍷story.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Arsenal – 78.5%
Southampton – 8.7%
Draw – 12.8%
