Southampton v. Arsenal: match thread

(a direct copy from the match preview): A FRIENDLY REMINDER FOR EVERYONE:

This game is not on broadcast television in the United States, and is only available legally online in the US on foxsoccer.tv. The Short Fuse and SB Nation guidelines do not allow discussion of or links to illegal streams of sporting events. Those things obviously do exist, and you can find them with a little bit of digging should you so desire, but please do not provide links to them or references to them either here or in the game thread. Thanks.

Arsenal make a welcomed trip back to the Emirates, the first time in nearly a month's time, to host newly-promoted side (and pipeline of Arsenal talent) Southampton. As pdb alluded to in the preview, this match should hopefully see Arsenal going against a side who's unwilling to park themselves behind the ball, which should make for an exciting 90+ minutes of football. The forecast calls for sunny skies and temperatures near 60-63 degrees Fahrenheit - a Chamber of Commerce day for London in mid-September.

A couple of interesting squad changes today. First, Wojciech Szczesny takes back his spot between the posts as Don Vito Mannone goes back to the bench. Second, Gervinho starts ahead of both Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott, the former still in the process of settling within the squad while the latter may or may not be still suffering from his mid-week virus. What's makes it interesting is that Gervinho starts in the middle with Lukas Poldoski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain flanking him, in a spot coveted by Mr. Walcott for many a season's past. You can draw your own conclusions upon this bit of breaking news. Lastly, Francis Coquelin replaces Abou Diaby, who suffered a knock while on France duty.

One last note: As I was researching the lineups and subs for today, many on Twitter reported that the Emirates, just a few minutes after 830am CDT, broke out in "You'll Never Walk Alone" as a tribute to the 96 who didn't walk out of Hillsborough that fateful day back in 1989. Many like to find fault and criticism in this little club we support, but one thing they can't ever do is argue the club and the supporters who back them lack class.

Your lineups for today:

Arsenal: Szczesny, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Coquelin, Arteta, Cazorla, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gervinho, Podolski

Subs: Koscielny, Santos, Giroud, Walcott, Ramsey, Arshavin, Mannone

Southampton: K. Davis, Clyne, Fonte, Hooiveld, Fox, Ward-Prowse, Schneiderlin, S. Davis, Puncheon, Lambert, Lallana

Subs: Gazzaniga, Yoshida, Rodriquez, Ramirez, Richardson, Mayuka, Chaplow

Please remember to keep image heights at a maximum of 300, always use a subject line, no links to illegal streams and, above all, be kind to one another.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!!!