Ralph Hasenhuttl will get his first taste of St. Mary's Stadium as his Southampton side face a difficult test, hosting an in-form Arsenal team on Sunday.
Hasenhuttl will have to try and get his players back at it, as they suffered a disappointing loss against Cardiff City last Saturday.
Arsenal will be in a bullish mood, unbeaten in the Premier League since August, as they prepare to face an out-of-sorts Saints team.
The last time these sides met was back in April; when Arsenal came from 2-0 down at the Emirates Stadium to beat the Saints 3-2.
Team News
Southampton could welcome back several crucial players - with Cedric Soares set to return after missing the Cardiff defeat through injury.
Strikers Danny Ings and Shane Long, who have been out with injuries since early November, are also in contention to play.
Arsenal, though, are without suspended defenders Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi, who both picked up their fifth bookings of the season last weekend.
Aaron Ramsey could play for the Gunners, after missing a couple of games through an ankle problem.
The Managers
Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has revealed his hope and expectation for his new Saints team to make it as difficult as possible for Arsenal on Sunday.
"I hope we will see on Sunday a team who knows exactly what they have to do and will make it as difficult as possible for Arsenal," Hasenhuttl said.
"They are very flexible and it is not surprising me that for two months they haven't lost a match. We should become a team that is not easy to play against.
"The fixtures we are facing now are not the easiest. I see a chance to make a surprise for everyone."
Arsenal head coach Unai Emery has insisted his team are "focused" on getting into the top four this season.
"We are fifth and our mind is focused on being in the first four positions," Emery said. "I think we are doing our way and in one process improving, but the reality is that we need more.
"I think the players are open to listening to us about our new tactical work with our analysis in videos. We need to do this work quickly, but we also need patience. We are improving step-by-step."
Match Stats
- Southampton have won just six of their 38 Premier League games against Arsenal (D10, L22).
- However, the Gunners have only one win in their last seven away league games at Southampton, a 2-0 win in May 2017.
- Southampton have lost a league-high of 12 points from winning positions so far this season.
- Arsenal have secured a division-high of 12 points from losing positions in 2018-19.
- They have only kept one clean sheet in their last 17 Premier League away games, though.
Betting Odds
Southampton: 31/10
Draw: 29/10
Arsenal: 10/11