Arsenal's Bukayo Saka Confident This Season Is Their Year To Challenge Manchester City

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Bukayo Saka is optimistic about Arsenal's chances to dethrone Manchester City in the Premier League this season. As winless Southampton prepares to visit the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal and City remain unbeaten after six matches, each with 14 points, trailing Liverpool by just one point. Arsenal recently defeated Leicester City 4-2 and Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 in the Champions League.

Many believe Arsenal can challenge City, especially after City's midfielder Rodri suffered a knee injury. Saka told CBS Sports, "I don't want to put too much pressure on us but I do think that this is the year." He believes Arsenal has been close in recent years and hopes this season will be different.

Saka expressed his determination to win this season, saying to Amazon Prime, "Previous years, I've come runners-up a lot. It's just that spirit in me that I want to win this season and of course, I believe in myself a lot." He emphasized the importance of making a statement at home games.

Southampton, meanwhile, has struggled since their promotion from the Championship. They have only secured one point from six league games, matching their worst start in history. Their recent 3-1 loss to Bournemouth prompted defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis to criticize their performance.

Harwood-Bellis stated, "I think it's just about taking ownership as players, doing your bit and not going inside yourself." He stressed the need for teamwork and avoiding solo play.

Kai Havertz has been impressive for Arsenal at home, scoring against PSG and netting six goals in his last six league games at the Emirates. He's scored in four consecutive home Premier League matches. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the last player to score in five straight home games for Arsenal.

Former Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale could face his old team with Southampton. Only one of eight previous goalkeepers who faced Arsenal after leaving kept a clean sheet: Emiliano Martinez did so with Aston Villa in November 2020.

Match Prediction: Arsenal Favoured

Despite Southampton's recent success against Arsenal—unbeaten in their last three meetings—history favours Arsenal. Southampton has never won at Arsenal in 24 Premier League visits. The Gunners are unbeaten in their last 28 home league games against Southampton since November 1987.

Southampton is currently on a 19-match winless streak in the Premier League across two seasons. Their longest such run was 20 games between August and December 1969. Meanwhile, Arsenal remains unbeaten in their last 40 home league matches against promoted teams.

The Opta Win Probability gives Arsenal a 78.5% chance of victory against Southampton's 8.7%, with a draw at 12.8%. This reflects Arsenal's strong position as they aim to continue their unbeaten run at home against promoted clubs.