CONFIRMED LINE-UP:Timber out, first Premier League start for 24year old Arsenal star| Expected Arsenal line-up (4-4-2) vs Southampton

Arsenal will be aiming for a second-straight Premier League win when they host Southampton at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon.

The Gunners are currently third in the league standings with 14 points, one adrift of leaders Liverpool, who face Crystal Palace in the early lunch-time kick-off.

Mikel Arteta’s side have the opportunity to go top of the table with a huge win, should the Reds fail to beat the Eagles at Selhurst Park.

Ahead of today’s game, the manager has revealed that Jurrien Timber, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu will undergo late fitness tests.

Formation: 4-4-2

Predicted Line-up:

David Raya has been in spectacular form in goal for the Gunners this term. He will be aiming for his fourth clean sheet of the top-flight campaign.

In the back four, there could be an enforced change. Timber was substituted at the interval against Paris Saint-Germain with a minor muscular issue.

Timber has also been left out of Netherlands’ Nations League squad which is probably a huge hint that he won’t be involved from the starting XI today.

Riccardo Calafiori made his first-ever appearance at right-back in the second half against PSG and we could see something similar against the Saints.

White and Tomiyasu may not be risked from the starting XI, having just returned from respective injuries.

This would obviously mean that Jakub Kiwior, 24, will make his first league start of the season at left-back, considering Oleksandr Zinchenko is injured.

William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are guaranteed starters in the heart of the defence.

Thomas Partey received huge praise from Arteta in the pre-match presser. The Spaniard said that he is one of the most important players in the squad.

We fully expect the Ghanaian to partner Declan Rice in the centre of the park, though Mikel Merino could displace him from the starting XI in the long run.

Further forward, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are assured starters on the right and left wing respectively.

Arteta has gone with a front two of Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz to compensate for the ongoing absence of Martin Odegaard through injury.

The duo are expected to keep their places. Trossard delivered an inch-perfect cross for Havertz’s headed goal against Les Parisiens on Tuesday night.