Arsenal v Southampton: Koeman to stick it to favourite foe Wenger

Michael Lintorn
01 February 2016

Ronald Koeman was troubling Arsene Wenger long before he showed up at Southampton

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It isn't just Jose Mourinho who knows how to make Arsene Wenger miserable. Ronald Koeman shares the talent...

"Even before becoming Southampton coach, Koeman had lost just once in six collisions with Wenger, meaning that he has endured a mere two defeats in ten in total, regardless of the clubs he has led into contests almost always being priced as the outsiders."

Lay Arsenal to win @ 1.875/6

Arsenal 1.865/6 v Southampton 5.24/1; The Draw 3.65
Tuesday, 19:45

Arsenal

Even when Arsenal suffered the humiliation of a 4-0 defeat to these opponents on Boxing Day, it was possible to pass it off as a fluke because they won the four games before and the three after.

That isn't the case right now with the former Premier League leaders winless in three top-flight assignments, with draws away to Liverpool and Stoke and a home reverse to Chelsea causing them to drop from first to third.

Even the FA Cup, which they lifted in 2013/14 and 2014/15, didn't provide true respite as they were kept waiting until the second half to beat Championship side Burnley 2-1 at the Emirates.

At least the injury situation appears to be improving with Danny Welbeck training again and Francis Coquelin, Alexis Sanchez and Tomas Rosicky returning recently. The latter managed the misfortune of hurting himself on his comeback though and so joins fellow midfielders Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere on the sidelines.

Southampton

When Southampton last faced the Gunners over Christmas, their 4-0 triumph was rendered all the more extraordinary by their dismal form before and afterwards, with it their sole success in a rotten run of eight losses in ten fixtures.

However, those worries seem to have dissolved for real this time thanks to a sequence of three wins without conceding against Watford, West Brom and Manchester United, which have suddenly shot them up to eighth place. Five potential explanations for the turnaround are offered here.

One of the theories ventured was the availability of Fraser Forster and Cedric Soares after injuries, but they leave behind them a fair few colleagues on the treatment table, including Florin Gardos, Steven Davis, Jay Rodriguez and top goalscorer Graziano Pelle.

Match Odds

Arsenal's joint-longest victory-free Premier League sequence of the past 21 months has overlapped with Southampton's longest winning streak in over a year to suggest that an upset beckons at the Emirates.

The Saints are an intriguing 5.24/1 despite their dominant display in the previous meeting, the fact that they conquered Old Trafford in their last outing and are more rested having benefitted from ten days off since that result.

The case for backing the visitors becomes more compelling still when you consider the hold that Ronald Koeman has over Arsene Wenger. He has won three of their four clashes since moving to the south coast in 2014, including a Capital One Cup tie at the Emirates last season.

Even before becoming Southampton coach, the Dutch tactician had lost just once in six collisions with the revered French manager, meaning that he has endured a mere two defeats in ten in total, regardless of the clubs he has led into contests almost always being priced as the outsiders.

Southampton Clean Sheet

It is 4.84/1 that the guests keep a clean sheet and 8.415/2 that they prevail to nil and there are trends to indicate that both are value punting options.

As mentioned above, Southampton haven't been breached in three matches since getting Forster and Cedric back and switching to a formation with three centre backs, while an even more surprising stat is that Arsenal have been shut out in three of their past six league tests, including the latest two.

They have fired blanks on the last two occasions that they took on the Saints too, scoring only once in their last 346 minutes of action against them - that's five hours and 46 minutes of combat in which a solitary blow was struck.

Recommended Bet:

Lay Arsenal to win @ 1.875/6