Separated by 13 points and 16 places in the Premier League table, Arsenal and Southampton lock horns at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon in what is a mismatch on paper.
Mikel Arteta's men are unbeaten in 15 matches across all competitions and most recently defeated Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, their third straight victory at the Emirates across all competitions.
Arsenal's triumph over the French champions came one day after Southampton were bested 3-1 by Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, leaving Russell Martin's job hanging by the thinnest of threads.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides.
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Head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 106
Arsenal wins: 53
Draws: 30
Southampton wins: 23
A battle that has exclusively taken place in the top flight, FA Cup and EFL Cup, Arsenal and Southampton have pitted their wits against one another on 106 occasions in all tournaments, and the Gunners have won exactly 50% of those fixtures.
Indeed, 53 victories have come Arsenal's way, while the Saints have conquered their North London counterparts on 23 occasions, and another 30 clashes have ended in a share of the spoils.
Two of those stalemates actually came in the two most recent Premier League contests between the two clubs, as Arsenal had to come from behind to draw 3-3 at the Emirates in April 2023, a few months on from dropping points in a 1-1 St Mary's draw.
Ex-Arsenal star Theo Walcott was among the Saints scorers in that six-goal Emirates spectacular, which put a fatal dent in the Gunners' hopes of pipping Manchester City to the title, and Southampton also conquered Arteta's side 1-0 at St Mary's in April 2022.
As a result, Arsenal are surprisingly winless in three straight matches against Southampton, whom they have not bested since a 3-0 home success in December 2021, and only two of their last seven matches against the Saints have ended in victory.
Southampton have established a reputation as a bogey team for Arsenal in the 21st century, and they are not total strangers to Emirates victories either, having beaten the Gunners at their 60,000-seater home in the 2014-15 and 2016-17 EFL Cup competitions.
However, the South Coast side have never got the better of Arsenal in the Premier League at the Emirates, and not since 1987 - a 1-0 win at Highbury - have Southampton conquered the Gunners away from home in the top flight.
With 11 goals against the Saints, Arsenal legend Ian Wright is the highest documented scorer in this fixture, while Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp and John Radford all netted seven times for the Gunners against Southampton.
Last 20 meetings
Apr 21, 2023: Arsenal 3-3 Southampton (Premier League)
Oct 23, 2022: Southampton 1-1 Arsenal (Premier League)
Apr 16, 2022: Southampton 1-0 Arsenal (Premier League)
Dec 11, 2021: Arsenal 3-0 Southampton (Premier League)
Jan 26, 2021: Southampton 1-3 Arsenal (Premier League)
Jan 23, 2021: Southampton 1-0 Arsenal (FA Cup Fourth Round)
Dec 16, 2020: Arsenal 1-1 Southampton (Premier League)
Jun 25, 2020: Southampton 0-2 Arsenal (Premier League)
Nov 23, 2019: Arsenal 2-2 Southampton (Premier League)
Feb 24, 2019: Arsenal 2-0 Southampton (Premier League)
Dec 16, 2018: Southampton 3-2 Arsenal (Premier League)
Apr 08, 2018: Arsenal 3-2 Southampton (Premier League)
Dec 10, 2017: Southampton 1-1 Arsenal (Premier League)
May 10, 2017: Southampton 0-2 Arsenal (Premier League)
Jan 28, 2017: Southampton 0-5 Arsenal (FA Cup Fourth Round)
Nov 30, 2016: Arsenal 0-2 Southampton (EFL Cup Quarter-Finals)
Sep 10, 2016: Arsenal 2-1 Southampton (Premier League)
Feb 02, 2016: Arsenal 0-0 Southampton (Premier League)
Dec 26, 2015: Southampton 4-0 Arsenal (Premier League)
Jan 01, 2015: Southampton 2-0 Arsenal (Premier League)
Last 10 Premier League meetings
Apr 21, 2023: Arsenal 3-3 Southampton (Premier League)
Oct 23, 2022: Southampton 1-1 Arsenal (Premier League)
Apr 16, 2022: Southampton 1-0 Arsenal (Premier League)
Dec 11, 2021: Arsenal 3-0 Southampton (Premier League)
Jan 26, 2021: Southampton 1-3 Arsenal (Premier League)
Dec 16, 2020: Arsenal 1-1 Southampton (Premier League)
Jun 25, 2020: Southampton 0-2 Arsenal (Premier League)
Nov 23, 2019: Arsenal 2-2 Southampton (Premier League)
Feb 24, 2019: Arsenal 2-0 Southampton (Premier League)
Dec 16, 2018: Southampton 3-2 Arsenal (Premier League)
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Ben Knapton
