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Olivier Giroud

Arsenal travel to Southampton on Tuesday as the Gunners look to strengthen their position at the top of the table.

Where to Watch

Kick-off is set for 7:45pm GMT. Highlights of the game will be available on BBC Match of the Day on BBC One on Wednesday from 10:35pm GMT.

Overview

Southampton have won their last three games out of four in all competitions and will come into the game confident of their chances of making a statement against the best team in the Premier League.

The Saints, who were flying high earlier in the season, were brought back to earth after a disappointing run of fixtures which started with a 2-0 loss to Arsenal in November.

Artur Boruc was the culprit during that period as he allowed Olivier Giroud to take the ball off his toes to give the Gunners a 1-0 lead. The goalkeeper was out with an injury for much of the latter part of that mishap and will be looking to redeem himself second time around when the north London club visit the St. Mary's Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Gunners have been in great form thus far and in spite of speculation about their ability to hold a title challenge for long, have shown that they are in for the long haul.

This is a must win game for Arsene Wenger's side who face a tough run of fixtures in the upcoming days which include trips to Anfield and games against Manchester United and Bayern Munich within days of each other.

The Gunners will be bolstered by their 4-0 win over Coventry City in the FA Cup and have been boosted by the return form injury of their top performer Aaron Ramsey. A win here will take them four points clear, with Manchester City playing tomorrow against Tottenham in a tough away fixture.

What the Managers Say

Olivier Giroud Arsenal Boruc Southampton
Olivier Giroud gets ready to slot in Arsenal's first goal as Suthampton goalkeeper Artur Boruc looks on in horror, November 23. Reuters

Mauricio Pochettino: He [Osvaldo] is suspended and there's nothing more to comment on that. We have to focus on tomorrow's game. Arsenal have a great structure and great footballers, that's allowed them to be up there fighting for the title. We will try to win the game. One of our strengths is that we believe we can win every game. We will attack.

Arsene Wenger: We have a doubt about Jack Wilshere, who had an ankle problem during the game against Coventry. We have players back normally in the squad - Vermaelen and Arteta. They should be back and available but we might from our last game lose Jack for tomorrow's game.

Form Guide

Southampton

  • Last Five(all competitions, most recent first): W D W W L
  • Last Result: Aouthampton 2-0 Yeovil Town

Arsenal

  • Last Five(all competitions, most recent first): W W W W W
  • Last Result: Arsenal 4-0 Coventry

Team Guide

Southampton

  • Injured: Gaston Ramirez(ankle), Dejan Lovren(ankle)
  • Doubtful: Rickie Lambert(hamstring), Artur Boruc(hand)
  • Suspended: Dani Osvaldo

Probable Line-Up: Boruc; Chambers, Fonte, Yoshida, Shaw; Schneiderlin, Davis, Cork; Lallana, Rodriguez, Lambert

Arsenal

  • Injured: Abou Diaby(knee), Theo Walcott(knee)
  • Doubtful: Jack Wilshere(ankle)
  • Suspended: N/A

Probable Line-Up: Szczesny; Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs; Wilshere, Flamini; Cazorla, Ozil, Podolski; Giroud

Arsenal FC