The former Arsenal star turned pundit is confident that Arsenal will triumph over Southampton, forecasting a 4-0 victory. He believes that being “schooled” by Bournemouth last Monday leaves the Russell Martin-led team with little hope against a formidable Arsenal, who demonstrated their resilience by snatching a victory against Leicester in that 4-2 clash at the Emirates last weekend.
“I look at this fixture, and I can’t see anything but a win for Arsenal,” Merson wrote on Sportskeeda. “Southampton were atrocious against Bournemouth last time out. If they play like that against Arsenal, I can’t even imagine how bad the scoreline would look at the end of 90 minutes!
“Arsenal were cruising against Leicester but ended up conceding twice in that game before snatching a late win. The fact that they eventually managed to get all three points in that game is commendable. So I’m backing Arsenal to secure a comfortable win — four goals to nothing.
“I worry for Southampton. The last game against Bournemouth was a fixture they should be looking at and thinking of getting a result. But instead, they got absolutely battered. It would be hard to imagine them getting something from this game.”
Southampton, desperate for a result, find themselves winless in their last six Premier League matches and are unfortunate to face Arsenal at this difficult moment. They might be hoping to change their fortunes, secure their first victory, and build momentum, but achieving this against Arsenal could require them to do something extraordinary. Among Arsenal’s initial 7 Premier League fixtures, the Saints stood out as a walkover fixture, and it would be surprising if they don’t decisively defeat them.
