A possible precursor to renewed Premier League hostilities in 2026-27, Championship high-flyers Southampton and treble-chasing Arsenal collide in Saturday evening's FA Cup quarter-final at St Mary's.
Both the Saints and the Gunners have battled past three opponents already to reach the last eight, with the former taking down Doncaster Rovers, Leicester City and most recently Fulham, overcoming the latter 1-0 in the fifth round thanks to a last-gasp Ross Stewart penalty.
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta's men have sunk Portsmouth, Wigan Athletic and Mansfield Town to make the quarters for the first time since their triumphant 2019-20 run, although they did not have it all their own way in their 2-1 success over the latter last time out.
Furthermore, Arsenal's quadruple dreams went up in smoke in their 2-0 EFL Cup final loss to Manchester City before the international break, whereas the Saints boosted their promotion prospects in the Championship by beating Oxford United by the same scoreline.
Ahead of Saturday's quarter-final, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two clubs.
Head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 108
Arsenal wins: 55
Draws: 30
Southampton wins: 23
A battle that has exclusively taken place in the top flight, FA Cup and EFL Cup, Arsenal and Southampton have pitted their wits against one another on 108 occasions in all tournaments, and the Gunners have won just over 50% of those fixtures.
Indeed, 55 victories have come Arsenal's way, while the Saints have conquered their North London counterparts on 23 occasions, and another 30 clashes have ended in a share of the spoils.
Two of those stalemates actually came in both showdowns in the 2022-23 Premier League, as Arsenal had to come from behind to draw 3-3 at the Emirates in April 2023, a few months on from dropping points in a 1-1 St Mary's draw.
Ex-Arsenal star Theo Walcott was among the Saints scorers in that six-goal Emirates spectacular, which put a fatal dent in the Gunners' hopes of pipping Manchester City to the title, and Southampton also conquered Arteta's side 1-0 at St Mary's in April 2022.
As a result, Arsenal were surprisingly winless in three straight matches against Southampton, but they finally ended that barren run on home turf in October 2024, coming from behind to secure a 3-1 success over Russell Martin's men.
That represented a first triumph for Arsenal over the Saints since a 3-0 home success in December 2021, and including a 2-1 St Mary's win on the last day of the 2024-25 campaign, only four of their last nine matches against the Saints have ended in victory.
Southampton have established a reputation as a bogey team for Arsenal in the 21st century, and they are not total strangers to Emirates victories either, having beaten the Gunners at their 60,000-seater home in the 2014-15 and 2016-17 EFL Cup competitions.
However, the South Coast side have never got the better of Arsenal in the Premier League at the Emirates, and not since 1987 - a 1-0 win at Highbury - have Southampton conquered the Gunners away from home in the top flight.
With 11 goals against the Saints, Arsenal legend Ian Wright is the highest documented scorer in this fixture, while Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp and John Radford all netted seven times for the Gunners against Southampton.
Last 20 meetings
May 25, 2025: Southampton 1-2 Arsenal (Premier League)
Oct 05, 2024: Arsenal 3-1 Southampton (Premier League)
Apr 21, 2023: Arsenal 3-3 Southampton (Premier League)
Oct 23, 2022: Southampton 1-1 Arsenal (Premier League)
Apr 16, 2022: Southampton 1-0 Arsenal (Premier League)
Dec 11, 2021: Arsenal 3-0 Southampton (Premier League)
Jan 26, 2021: Southampton 1-3 Arsenal (Premier League)
Jan 23, 2021: Southampton 1-0 Arsenal (FA Cup Fourth Round)
Dec 16, 2020: Arsenal 1-1 Southampton (Premier League)
Jun 25, 2020: Southampton 0-2 Arsenal (Premier League)
Nov 23, 2019: Arsenal 2-2 Southampton (Premier League)
Feb 24, 2019: Arsenal 2-0 Southampton (Premier League)
Dec 16, 2018: Southampton 3-2 Arsenal (Premier League)
Apr 08, 2018: Arsenal 3-2 Southampton (Premier League)
Dec 10, 2017: Southampton 1-1 Arsenal (Premier League)
May 10, 2017: Southampton 0-2 Arsenal (Premier League)
Jan 28, 2017: Southampton 0-5 Arsenal (FA Cup Fourth Round)
Nov 30, 2016: Arsenal 0-2 Southampton (EFL Cup Quarter-Finals)
Sep 10, 2016: Arsenal 2-1 Southampton (Premier League)
Feb 02, 2016: Arsenal 0-0 Southampton (Premier League)
Last 10 Premier League meetings
May 25, 2025: Southampton 1-2 Arsenal (Premier League)
Oct 05, 2024: Arsenal 3-1 Southampton (Premier League)
Apr 21, 2023: Arsenal 3-3 Southampton (Premier League)
Oct 23, 2022: Southampton 1-1 Arsenal (Premier League)
Apr 16, 2022: Southampton 1-0 Arsenal (Premier League)
Dec 11, 2021: Arsenal 3-0 Southampton (Premier League)
Jan 26, 2021: Southampton 1-3 Arsenal (Premier League)
Dec 16, 2020: Arsenal 1-1 Southampton (Premier League)
Jun 25, 2020: Southampton 0-2 Arsenal (Premier League)
Nov 23, 2019: Arsenal 2-2 Southampton (Premier League)