Match Pack: Saints vs Arsenal
It's the quarter-finals of the Emirates FA Cup at St Mary's, as Southampton prepare to host Arsenal. Get clued up with all the key information via our Match Pack...
THE MATCH
Southampton vs Arsenal
Emirates FA Cup quarter-final
St Mary’s Stadium
Saturday 4th April, 8pm BST
THE OFFICIALS
Referee: Sam Barrott
Assistant Referees: James Mainwaring and Wade Smith
Fourth Official: Thomas Bramall
Video Assistant Referee: James Bell
Additional Video Assistant Referee: Nick Hopton
THE KITS
Saints will once again be donning their special edition commemorative yellow and blue kit, celebrating 50 years since the iconic 1976 FA Cup victory. The visitors will be in their traditional home kit of red and white shirts, white shorts and red socks.
TICKETS
Saturday's cup encounter will be played in front of a sold out crowd at St Mary's.
LIVE COVERAGE
This match will be broadcast live on BBC One and TNT Sports 1 with coverage starting from 7.30pm BST on both channels.
Due to competition rules, there will be no live stream available on Saints Play for UK or international supporters.
THE PROGRAMME
The matchday programme is available to order online, as well as from the various sellers around St Mary’s.
James Bree is the cover star, posing in the commemorative yellow shirt created to honour the 50th anniversary of Saints’ 1976 FA Cup triumph, after scoring an extra-time winner in our last St Mary’s cup tie in the fourth round against Leicester.
Inside you'll find Taylor Harwood-Bellis’s A-Z of Football, as the in-form defender reveals some of the fondest memories from his career to date, as well as Tonda Eckert’s latest notes, coverage of our visitors and all the latest news from our Women's and Academy teams.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Saints have continued their good run of form, having extended their unbeaten run to 14 games in all competitions. As a result, they have risen into the play-off spots with seven games remaining in the league campaign.
Tonda Eckert's side are one step away from the semi-finals, with Arsenal standing between Southampton and a trip to Wembley. However, overcoming Saturday's opponents will be no easy feat against a side who themselves are looking to try and secure a successful season in multiple competitions.
Whilst the quadruple is no longer possible for Arsenal following their Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester City, the visitors remain top of the Premier League table and will be aiming to maintain their momentum in both the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup.
TEAM NEWS
Saints: Tonda Eckert will be without suspended duo Flynn Downes and Kuryu Matsuki. The head coach admitted he has been closely monitoring the "load" of his international players, with Finn Azaz, Ryan Manning, Shea Charles, Cyle Larin and Joshua Quarshie all involved for their countries this week.
Leo Scienza and Ross Stewart are back in training having sat out Saints' final matches before the international break, but Jack Stephens has "a little bit of swelling in his ankle but he’s getting better every day" after he hobbled out of Monday's open training session at St Mary's.
Arsenal: Eleven Arsenal players withdrew from international duty over the past fortnight, leaving manager Mikel Arteta with a selection headache on Saturday, particularly ahead of his side's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Sporting on Tuesday.
Of the withdrawals, only Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Piero Hincapié were confirmed to be out of the St Mary's tie by Arteta at his pre-match press conference, while Mikel Merino is a long-term absentee.
THE MANAGERS
Tonda Eckert: "All of the pressure is on us, and it needs to be. I think if you want to win a game of football, the pressure is always on you. It's for us to take that as it comes and make sure we play a good game.
"The reality is that we go into the game to win, and we have always done that. For me, there is no other way that exists. If you drop off that expectation and you say 'the pressure is on them', I think you only prepare yourself for a bad result. The pressure is on us, we want to win the game, and we will do everything to do that."
Mikel Arteta: "We are in a position now that we are going to make the strongest line-ups and decisions that we possibly can to win every competition. We are two or three games away in the FA Cup and we know how important that competition is for us.
"It's a huge competition, so related to the history of our football club. We’re going to play a team (Saints) that is in a really good moment, they have won so many games recently, they’re in a really good moment. You know the expectations, the crowd, the environment that they are going to create, so we are ready for that, and we want to be at Wembley again, so tomorrow we have the opportunity to do that again."
ONES TO WATCH
Daniel Peretz: With the highest save percentage (77.3%) in the Championship, Peretz has been a very welcome addition to the club since joining on loan in January.
The shot-stopper has helped to sure up Southampton's defensive unit, and will have the opportunity to test himself against Premier League opposition when Saints face Arsenal on Saturday.
Kai Havertz: Having scored for Germany during the most recent international break, Havertz will be looking to build some minutes for Arsenal.
The attacker has been efficient for the Gunners in the Champions League, scoring twice, and assisting once in his three appearances in the competition.
TOP SCORERS
Saints
Goals:
Azaz 9
Manning, Scienza, Stewart 6
Harwood-Bellis, Matsuki 5
Assists:
Scienza 8
Azaz, Fellows 6
Manning 4
Arsenal
Goals:
Gyökeres 16
Martinelli 11
Eze, Saka 9
Assists:
Rice 11
Trossard 9
Saka, Odegaard, Timber 6
FORM GUIDE
Saints
Oxford United (h) SBC: W 2-0 (Larin, Charles)
Norwich (h) SBC: W 1-0 (Azaz)
Coventry (a) SBC: W 2-1 (Downes, Matsuki)
West Brom (a) SBC: D 1-1 (Larin)
Fulham (a) FAC: W 0-1 (Stewart pen)
Arsenal
Manchester City (n) CC: L 0-2
Bayer Leverkusen (h) UCL: W 2-0 (Eze, Rice)
Everton (h) PL: W 2-0 (Gyökeres, Dowman)
Bayer Leverkusen (a) UCL: D 1-1 (Havertz pen)
Mansfield (a) FAC: W 2-1 (Madueke, Eze)
HEAD TO HEAD
Played: 108
Saints wins: 23
Draws: 30
Arsenal wins: 55
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
May 2025: Saints 1-2 Arsenal Premier League (Stewart)
Oct 2024: Arsenal 3-1 Saints Premier League (Archer)
Apr 2023: Arsenal 3-3 Saints Premier League (Alcaraz, Walcott, Ćaleta-Car)
Oct 2022: Saints 1-1 Arsenal Premier League (S. Armstrong)
Apr 2022: Saints 1-0 Arsenal Premier League (Bednarek)
KEEP UP TO DATE
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