Alan Shearer delivers result prediction as Arsenal prepare to lock horns with Southampton
England and Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has backed Arsenal to defeat Southampton in their Premier League home encounter this Saturday (October 5).
The Gunners, who are yet to taste defeat in the Premier League this season, have opened the ongoing 2024-25 season in a strong fashion. They are third in the table with 14 points from six games, scoring 12 times in the process.
Southampton, who gained promotion to the Premier League after defeating Leeds United in the play-off final, are currently 19th in the league standings. They are on just one point from six matches, scoring a meagre three goals.
In his column for Metro, Shearer asserted that Southampton will be unable to deal with Arsenal's pressing intensity at Emirates Stadium. He wrote:
"Southampton were awful in the first half [of their 3-1 league loss] against Bournemouth. They capitulated after looking bright for the first five or ten minutes. As soon as they conceded, they just folded. They were a bit better in the second half, but it was too little, too late. I can't see them getting anything at the Emirates, where Arsenal taught [Paris Saint-Germain] PSG a lesson earlier in the week."
Interestingly, the Gunners are winless in their last three league outings against the Saints. They have registered just four wins and three losses in their past 11 games across all competitions against Southampton.
Luis Enrique hails Arsenal's defensive nous
Following the north London outfit's 2-0 UEFA Champions League win against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) earlier this Tuesday, PSG manager Luis Enrique lauded the Gunners. He said (h/t Metro):
"Our rivals tonight were much better in terms of intensity, in terms of pressure, they won every duel. Effectively after the second goal Arsenal scored, they decided to defend a bit more deeply, take a few less risks. Arsenal deserved their victory."
Enrique, who joined the Parisians in the summer of 2023, concluded:
"Really, it's impossible to come out of a game with a positive result if you don't manage to win any duel on the pitch. We won none of our duels, their defenders completely anticipated our attackers, and our defenders failed to anticipate their attackers. From the first minute, they were superior to us. We knew from the first minute they were going to press us high, aggressive, and they did it great."
Despite allowing PSG to relish 65% possession on Tuesday, the north London side did not concede a big chance against the Ligue 1 giants.
The Gunners have conceded six goals in nine total matches this term.