Southampton vs Arsenal FA Cup Preview

Southampton host Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday with a place at Wembley at stake and two very different subplots shaping the tie. Southampton have built momentum through the cup and the Championship, while Arsenal return from the international break with a long list of absentees and one eye on Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg at Sporting.

Arsenal and Southampton have arrived in the quarter-finals by very different routes. Arsenal are still yet to face Premier League opposition in this season’s FA Cup, having come through ties against Portsmouth, Wigan Athletic and Mansfield Town. Southampton’s path has been tougher. Saints had to go through extra time to beat Leicester City and then followed that by knocking out Fulham at Craven Cottage, which gives their run a little more weight heading into Saturday’s tie.

Recent form gives the tie a more edge than a typical meeting between Premier League and Championship opposition. Southampton come into it unbeaten in their last five matches in all competitions, which helps explain why there is hope of any upset at St Mary’s. Arsenal’s recent run has been less straightforward. Mikel Arteta’s side have still won three of their last five in all competitions, but their most recent outing, a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, means they head into this one looking for a response. They will want to bounce back quickly from that setback, albeit with injury concerns continuing to hang over the squad.

Arsenal’s injury picture is the main issue heading into the quarter-final. Ten senior players returned early from international duty during the break: Martin Zubimendi, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Noni Madueke, Piero Hincapie, William Saliba, Gabriel, Jurrien Timber, Leandro Trossard and Eberechi Eze. Martin Odegaard also stayed in London as he continues to recover from a knee problem, leaving Mikel Arteta with a long list of fitness concerns before a crucial week.

With that in mind, Arsenal are expected to rotate. Ben White, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Christian Norgaard, Max Dowman and Gabriel Jesus are among those who could be given chances, while Kepa Arrizabalaga is likely to come in despite his Carabao Cup final mistake. Odegaard is hoping to return, but Eze is facing several weeks out with a calf injury and Madueke is still managing the knee issue he picked up with England. Arsenal also have a suspension risk to consider, with Norgaard, White and Calafiori all one yellow card away from a ban that would rule them out of any potential semi-final. Calafiori is still expected to start at left-back, which could free Lewis-Skelly to operate in midfield after serving his own suspension in the fifth round against Mansfield.

On paper, Arsenal should still have too much for Southampton, even if Arteta rotates. The visitors have greater depth and a higher ceiling, but the combination of injuries, international withdrawals and a quick turnaround to Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Sporting means this is unlikely to be a full-strength Arsenal side.

Arsenal also needed a late push to get past Mansfield in the fifth round when changes were made, so Southampton will head into the quarter-final believing the tie is more competitive than it might look on paper. Arteta is due to face the media again on Friday afternoon, when the picture around injuries and the likely matchday squad should become clearer.