Arsenal vs. Southampton lineups, expected starting 11, confirmed team news and injuries: Mikel Merino bidding for Gunners Premier League debut

Joe Wright

Arsenal vs. Southampton lineups, expected starting 11, confirmed team news and injuries: Mikel Merino bidding for Gunners Premier League debut image

Arsenal host struggling Southampton this weekend in their final Premier League match before the October international break.

The Gunners secured a hugely impressive 2-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League this week and will aim to sign off from domestic duties for the next fortnight with another win over Russell Martin's Saints.

Mikel Arteta's men sit third in the top-flight standings after six games, level on 14 points with champions Manchester City and just a point behind leaders Liverpool. Southampton, meanwhile, are languishing in 19th place and are yet to win a league game since their promotion back up from the EFL Championship in May.

Arsenal fans may hope to see a league debut for one of their summer acquisitions, while there's a notable absentee for the visitors. Get the latest team news and predicted lineups below.

STREAM: Arsenal vs. Southampton LIVE in Canada via Fubo | Watch the action LIVE in the US on Peacock

Arsenal vs. Southampton lineups, predicted starting 11, team news

Arteta could hand a first league appearance in an Arsenal shirt to Mikel Merino, who came on as a substitute against PSG after recovering from a freak shoulder injury. The midfielder last played a Premier League game back in May 2018, when he appeared as a late sub in Newcastle United's 2-1 loss to Watford.

There's a bit of a concern at right-back, with Ben White still recovering from injury and Jurrien Timber having gone off at halftime against PSG. Jakub Kiwior replaced the Netherlands international and could start on Saturday, which would likely see Riccardo Calafiori move to the right, unless Takehiro Tomiyasu can come through late fitness tests before this game.

Martin Odegaard is still out of action, as are Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney.

Arsenal predicted XI (4-3-3, right to left): Raya (GK) —Calafiori, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior — Merino, Partey, Rice — Saka, Havertz, Trossard

Injured: Zinchenko, Tierney, Odegaard, White (doubt), Timber (doubt), Tomiyasu (doubt)
Suspended: None

MORE: All the latest Arsenal news | Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings

Southampton will be missing Jack Stephens, the defender having been given a two-game ban and a fine for swearing at officials after being sent off in his side's 3-0 loss to Manchester United.

Martin also confirmed that midfielder Will Smallbone is still out, along with winger Kamaldeen Sulemana. Both are expected to return after the international break.

Aaron Ramsdale will face his former club just over a month after his departure from the Emirates. Joe Aribo will also hope to be in the starting XI after appearing as a substitute in the loss to Bournemouth last time out.

Southampton predicted XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Ramsdale (GK) — Sugawara, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Taylor — Downes, Ugochukwu — Cornet, Fernandes, Aribo — Brereton Diaz

Injured: Smallbone, Sulemana, Bazunu
Suspended: Stephens

What time does Arsenal vs. Southampton kick off?

This Premier League clash takes place at the Emirates Stadium in London, United Kingdom and kicks off on Saturday, October 5 at 3:00 p.m. local time.

Here's how that time translates across some of the major global territories:

 DateKickoff time
USASat, Oct. 510:00 a.m. ET
CanadaSat, Oct. 510:00 a.m. ET
AustraliaSun, Oct. 612:00 a.m. AEST
UKSat, Oct. 53:00 p.m. BST
IndiaSat, Oct. 57:30 p.m. IST

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Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.