Arsenal travel to St Mary’s on Saturday night looking to heal the wounds of their recent Carabao Cup final defeat.
The Gunners return from the international break with a point to prove. Their quadruple dreams ended at Wembley against Manchester City. Mikel Arteta’s men now focus on a historic treble bid, leading the Premier League by nine points.
Historically, Arsenal have dominated this quarter-final stage, progressing from 14 of their last 16 appearances. Furthermore, they have navigated 45 of their last 48 ties against non-top-flight opposition successfully.
Southampton host the Premier League leaders in the midst of a spectacular 14-game unbeaten run. Under Tonda Eckert, the Saints have surged into the Championship play-off positions.
They reached this stage by clinical displays against Fulham, Leicester City, and Doncaster Rovers. This marks the sixth FA Cup meeting between these two clubs. While Arsenal won four of the first five, the Saints secured a 1–0 victory in their most recent cup encounter.
Southampton vs Arsenal – Match preview and team news
- Date: Saturday, 4 April 2026
- Kick-off: 20:00 BST
- Venue: St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton
- Referee: Sam Barrott
- VAR: James Bell
- Last Meeting: Southampton 1–2 Arsenal (25 MAY 2025, Premier League)
Team news
Southampton
The hosts suffer a massive blow with Flynn Downes and Kuryu Matsuki both suspended. Captain Jack Stephens also remains a major doubt following a training ground injury. However, Leo Scienza is expected to feature after overcoming a groin problem. Manager Tonda Eckert could become only the third Saints boss to win his first four FA Cup matches.
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta welcomes back Martin Ødegaard and Jurriën Timber to the squad after injury layoffs. Notably, 16-year-old Max Dowman is in line for his first start following his heroics against Everton.
However, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, and Piero Hincapié are all ruled out. Several key stars like Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are expected to be rested ahead of Champions League action.
Form
Southampton
The Saints are Championship giants right now, having not tasted defeat since mid-January. They have won 11 of their last 14 games across all competitions. Despite this form, Southampton have been eliminated from their last five quarter-finals against top-flight teams.
Arsenal
Arsenal arrive on the South Coast having won five of their last six matches in all competitions. Notably, Gabriel Martinelli has been the competition’s standout performer this term. He has recorded five goal involvements in the FA Cup since the third round. The Gunners have advanced from their last four semi-finals once reaching this stage.
Predicted lineups
Southampton Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Peretz; Bree, Wood, Harwood-Bellis, Manning; Jander, Romeu; Fellows, Azaz, Edozie; Stewart
Arsenal Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Nørgaard, Lewis-Skelly; Dowman, Havertz, Martinelli; Jesus
How to watch Southampton vs Arsenal?
UK fans can watch the match live and free-to-air on BBC One. Additionally, it is available on TNT Sports 1 and the BBC iPlayer app.
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