Arsenal will look to keep their Treble hopes alive when they travel to Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday night.
The Gunners’ chances of winning a historic Quadruple were ended when they lost the EFL Cup final to Manchester City before the international break. However, they remain in pole position in the Premier League and are going strong in the Champions League and FA Cup.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs Southampton
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Norgaard, Dowman; Trossard, Havertz, Martinelli; Jesus
Mikel Arteta will field a strong line-up here, despite facing Championship opposition. However, he will still try to balance fitness and injury issues with getting the job done.
Arsenal team news vs Southampton
Arteta has a whole host of fitness issues to worry about ahead of this tie.
Firstly, Mikel Merino is out until late May with a foot injury, while William Saliba is still a doubt after an ankle injury kept him out of the recent international break.
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Speaking of internationals, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Martin Zubimendi and Piero Hincapie all pulled out for England, Spain and Ecuador, respectively, due to various issues.
The English contingent are expected to make the squad, as is Zubimendi. However, Hincapie may face a couple of weeks on the treatment table with a muscle injury.
Mikel Arteta looking to use EFL Cup disappointment as ‘fuel’
The EFL Cup final defeat to Man City before the international break was a huge disappointment for everyone associated with Arsenal, not least due to the poor manner of the performance.
However, Arsenal still have so much to play for this season as they look to end their long title drought, and become just the third English team to win the Treble.
That is the message that Arteta is pushing: use this disappointment as fuel for greater glories.
“When you didn’t manage to win that final, I think what you have to take on board is how this is going to make us stronger for the final push of the season,” Arteta said at his pre-match press conference.
“That has been the mindset, that has been all the work that we have done in the last few days to use that as fuel, as tools to be able to get the final push that we want and achieve what we want.”
The Spaniard added: “Immediately, I could sense that and the way we look at ourselves and the things that we could have done better and how the game can shift at that level from the first and second half.
“That’s something that we need to manage better, and again, this is going to make us better, I’m sure, and we have to use it for the most important and beautiful part of the season.”