Arsenal will aim to get their top-four charge back on track when they meet Southampton in Saturday afternoon's Premier League battle at St Mary's Stadium.
The Gunners have lost back-to-back games versus Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion since the international break and have dropped below Tottenham Hotspur into fifth in the table as a result.
Arsenal's struggles have not been helped by the fact that Alexandre Lacazette is still waiting for his first league goal from open play in 2022, and the striker was absent from training earlier this week ahead of this fixture.
Lacazette may still be able to turn out on Saturday, though, and he is partial to a goal in this fixture, so Sports Mole takes a closer look at the 30-year-old's record in his meeting with the Saints.
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Lacazette enjoyed a strong debut season with Arsenal in 2017-18 but could not open his account in either Premier League fixture with Southampton, as the Gunners drew 1-1 at St Mary's before he came off the bench for the final 19 minutes of a 3-2 home win.
The former Lyon man claimed an assist at St Mary's for a Henrik Mkhitaryan effort in December 2018 but could not prevent the Gunners from losing 3-2, and he was on target within the first six minutes of a 2-0 home win later that season.
The 2019-20 campaign was a productive one for Lacazette against Southampton, as he netted both of his side's goals - including a 96th-minute equaliser - in a 2-2 home draw before assisting Joe Willock's effort in a 2-0 St Mary's win.
Lacazette was only on the bench for the 1-1 Emirates draw with Southampton last season, but he starred on the South Coast later that term - assisting Bukayo Saka for his side's second before getting in on the act himself in a 3-1 win.
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The Frenchman started on the bench as the Gunners met Southampton in the fourth round of the FA Cup last season, but he could not make an impact as a substitute in a 1-0 loss at St Mary's.
Lacazette then wore the captain's armband for the visit of Ralph Hasenhuttl's side to the Emirates in December and opened the scoring in some style in a 3-0 win, which was the last time that he managed to find the back of the net from open play in the Premier League.
In total, Lacazette's eight meetings with Southampton in the Premier League have seen him register eight goal contributions (five strikes and three assists), and only against West Ham United and West Bromwich Albion has he also scored five goals against in English football.
Statistically, Lacazette enjoys facing Southampton more than any other team in the Premier League, and he has only drawn a blank at St Mary's once in the top flight, but his recent training absence is yet to be explained ahead of the trip south.
Ben Knapton
