Watch Arsenal V Southampton Live Stream Barclays Premier League Match 23 -November 2013.Arsenal welcome back Theo Walcott from injury, but Mathieu Flamini is banned after amassing five yellow cards.
Per Mertesacker returns after missing the defeat at Manchester United because of a virus, but Tomas Rosicky is doubtful with illness.Watch Arsenal V Southampton Live, Watch Arsenal V Southampton Live Stream, Watch Arsenal V Southampton Free Live Stream, Watch Arsenal V Southampton Online, Watch Arsenal V Southampton Online Free, Arsenal V Southampton Live, Arsenal V Southampton live stream Online.
Southampton will assess Gaston Ramirez when he returns from Uruguay.
Dani Osvaldo is expected to be fit despite suffering an allergic reaction on international duty, but Jack Cork is ruled out with an ankle problem.
MATCH PREVIEW
Early last season this fixture would have looked like a real home banker, but what a difference a year makes. Southampton lost 6-1 at the Emirates in September 2012, but they are the Premier League's team of the moment right now.
Saints are unbeaten in eight league games, with just one defeat all season, and of course had three players called up for the most recent England squad.
LAWRO'S PREDICTION
Image of Mark Lawrenson Mark Lawrenson Football analyst
"We must wait and see who is fit to play in Arsenal's midfield but I just think that, right now at The Emirates, visiting teams get a bigger examination than they do anywhere else in the Premier League.
"The Gunners are top of the table for a reason. They can out-play you in the middle or out-flank you down the wings and this will be a tough game for Saints."
Read Lawro's full prediction and score
They sit third in the table, and could end the day top. Even the most optimistic of Southampton fans would not have predicted that at the start of the season.
The Southampton story is incredible. It was only four years ago that they were on the brink of extinction following relegation to League One. Instead, the club were rescued by the current Swiss owners.
The question for both clubs is can their current level of success be sustained?
Few would expect Southampton to finish in the top four, but a win at Liverpool and draw at Manchester United suggests they are not out of their depth against the elite.
Many predict that Arsenal's title challenge will fade and they will eventually be overhauled by the likes of Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs.
But I think the return to fitness of several injured players could give them fresh impetus during the second half of the season.
Theo Walcott could feature on Saturday, and the likes of Lukas Podolski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should provide similar boosts when they return. It has often been overlooked this season how well Arsenal have coped with a lengthy injury list.
This should be a good game for the connoisseurs. Southampton move the ball well under Mauricio Pochettino, and usually look to press their opponents high up the pitch.
Arsenal won't change their expansive style but will have a point to prove following defeat at Manchester United.
All in all, it has the makings of a cracking game.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 18 home league matches against Southampton. That run stretches back to a 1-0 top-flight defeat on 21 November 1987 when Danny Wallace got the only goal.
Three of the last four meetings between the sides have ended in draws.
Arsenal
Victory would give the Gunners five successive home league wins for the first time since April 2012.
The 1-0 defeat at Manchester United was the first time Arsenal had failed to score in a Premier League game since 16 April, when they drew 0-0 with Everton.
The last time the Gunners failed to score in consecutive league games was in the opening two matches of the 2012-13 season, which they drew 0-0 against Sunderland and then Stoke.
Southampton
Arsenal's defeat by Manchester United means Saints now possess the longest current unbeaten run (eight games) in the Premier League.
This is their best start to a top-flight season. They are two points better off than at this stage of the 1983-84 campaign, when they eventually finished second.
They had 17 points fewer at this point last season, and had conceded 24 more goals (29 in total).
Southampton have faced fewer shots on target than any other side in the Premier League this season (31).
Saints have conceded six or more goals in six different Premier League games - the last two of which have been away at Arsenal (in September 2012 and May 2003).