Arsenal headed into the international break on a downer after defeat in the EFL Cup Final and it will be fascinating to see how they react when they return to action in the FA Cup away to Southampton.
Hopes of an unprecedented quadruple went up in smoke at Wembley and Manchester City's comfortable 2-0 victory also gave Pep Guardiola's men hope as they hunt down the Gunners in the Premier League title race.
But Mikel Arteta's side can still match City and Manchester United's feat of completing a treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup this season.
It would be a surprise if they slipped up away to Championship outfit Southampton in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
However, the Saints are one of England's form teams and head into this tie off the back of a 14-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
They were written off in the last round of the FA Cup away to Fulham but ground out a 1-0 victory and now have home advantage as they bid to pull off an even bigger shock.
How the bookies view it: Gunners to fire back
Southampton may be in fine form but they're 11/2 outsiders to reach the semi-finals and as big as 11/1 with BetMGM for a win inside 90 minutes.
Arsenal are just 1/8 to go through and their best price for a win in normal time is 3/10 at Ladbrokes. The draw at 90 minutes pays 5/1 with Bet365.
Recent head to head: Saints eye spirit of 2021
Southampton knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup at St Mary's in 2021 thanks to an own goal from defender Gabriel. They repeated the feat a year later in the Premier League but have since gone four games without a win against the Gunners.
Players to watch: Gyokeres is buzzing
Viktor Gyokeres will report back for Arsenal duty on a high after his four-goal haul across two play-off games helped Sweden qualify for the World Cup. The striker is 23/20 with BetVictor to grab another goal here.
Finn Azaz has been a key man for Southampton this season, chipping in with 10 goals, and won the penalty that sealed the FA Cup win over Fulham. The Irishman is 3/1 with Bet365 to score or assist against the Gunners.
Backed a player to find the net? Check our Goalscorer Betting guide to see how the markets work and where to find value.
Probable line-ups
Southampton are without Flynn Downes and Kuryu Matsuki due to suspension while Leo Scienza, Jack Stephens and Mads Roreslev are set to miss out with injury.
A host of Arsenal players withdrew from international duty and it will be interesting to see how many of Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Gabriel, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber, Eberechi Eze, Leandro Trossard, Martin Zubimendi and Piero Hincapie feature here. Noni Madueke also picked up an injury on England duty.
Southampton: Peretz, Manning, Harwood-Bellis, Bree, Wood, Romeu, Charles, Fellows, Jander, Larin, Azaz.
Arsenal: Arrizabalaga, Saliba, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, White, Norgaard, Zubimendi, Dowman, Jesus, Havertz, Gyokeres.
Anything else catch the eye?
A lot will depend on how strong an Arsenal side Arteta is able or willing to pick. Even with a decent number of big hitters on board, they could struggle to break down a Southampton defence that has conceded just five goals across their last nine outings.
That makes betting against BTTS a decent option at 10/11 with William Hill while a Gunners win with under 3.5 strikes pays 13/10 at Coral.
The corner count could rack up for Arteta's side if Saints sit deep and backing Arsenal at -3.5 in the corner handicap pays a decent 16/17 at Unibet.
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