Michael Owen is backing Arsenal to get their top-four bid back on track with a 2-0 victory away to Southampton on Saturday.
The Gunners head into the game looking to return to winning ways, after the disappointment of losing back-to-back Premier League games to Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion.
Those results have dented the Gunners’ hopes of finishing in the top four this season, with Tottenham now leading the way by occupying fourth spot – although Spurs have played one game more than Mikel Arteta’s men.
Arteta will be desperate for his side to bounce back to winning ways on Saturday at St Mary’s, with tricky games against Chelsea FC, Manchester United and West Ham United looming on the horizon.
Southampton start the weekend in 14th place in the Premier League table and the Saints have lost four of their last five games, losing the other.
Arsenal have lost three of their last five outings in the top flight to dent their hopes of securing Champions League qualification via a top-four finish.
Now, former England and Liverpool FC star Owen has explained why he thinks that Arsenal are set to get their season back on track with a victory at St Mary’s on Saturday.
Writing in his column for BetVictor, Owen said: “Southampton are a strange side. They go through spells of brilliant form but are also prone to heavy defeats like the one last week. Make no mistake, Chelsea could easily have won by more than six. I’m curious what Southampton we will see here.
“Just when I was beginning to trust this Arsenal side, they’ve now gone and lost two in a row! The pressure is now firmly on them, and they really can’t afford any more dropped points. The big worry is that the goals have really dried up. Just two goals in their last four, that’s not going to get them in the top four.
“I’m picking Arsenal though. Southampton were all over the place last week, I don’t think we’ll see much improvement here.”
Arsenal have not finished in the top four since 2016, when they came second under Arsene Wenger.