Arsenal were thoroughly beaten – physically and mentally – the last time they played Southampton. Arsene Wenger will hope for a different result when the two teams clash again in the English Premier League on Tuesday.
Shane Long and Southampton were really up for it on Boxing Day, handing the Gunners a sound 4-0 thumping at St. Mary's. While a few of the decisions might have gone against them, there was little doubt that Arsenal did not show up for that match.
Watch the highlights of the match HERE
Now, their powers of bouncebackability will be tested, with Wenger confident Arsenal can find the right answers to solve the Southampton puzzle.
"They gave us a tough game last time and we have to put that right," Wenger told the club's official website. "It is a very important time in the season as we go into big, big games and have 13 matches to go.
"They were dominant in the challenges and the duels. We just came out of a very tough game at Man City, and maybe didn't have the urgency to cope with that. We were a bit unlucky with three goals on the decisions of the referee as well.
"The message [this time] is that we play at home and we want to put things right and put a strong performance in because the strength we show at home now in the remaining games can be decisive."
Arsenal are coming off a 2-1 victory over Burnley in the FA Cup at the weekend, but they have failed to win any of their last three Premier League games, which has seen them drop down to third. Another iffy day against Southampton is something that Arsenal just cannot afford, especially after throwing away a potential three points by getting themselves down to ten men against Chelsea in their last match in the Premier League.
"The defeat against Chelsea was very unlucky, because our performance was right -- it was not a Southampton performance," Wenger added. "Our performance, our energy level, our commitment and the quality of what we did was very good.
"It is an encouragement. Sometimes you have to raise a little bit above the result and keep the positives. In that game there were a lot of positives."
Where to Watch Live
The EPL game is scheduled for an 7.45 pm GMT (2.45 pm ET, 1.15 am IST) start. Live TV coverage of the match in India will be on Star Sports 4, while the match can also be watched via live streaming online on Hotstar and Starsports.com.
The Premier League match will not be shown live in the UK.
NBC Sports Network will broadcast the EPL game between Spurs and Liecester live in the US, while the action can also be live streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra. Audience in Canada can watch the action live on TSN1 and TSN TV.
Australia viewers can watch the EPL game live on Fox Sports 1, while the online live streaming options are on Fox Sports On Demand and Foxtel Play.
