The FA Cup is back this weekend and although the Fourth Round always lacks the excitement of its immediate predecessor, there's still plenty for English football fans to dig their teeth into - not least including Southampton vs. Arsenal at 5.30pm on Saturday.

Featuring two Premier League sides in decent form, this is very much the heavyweight contest of the round. Southampton will be looking to make another mark in competition football after progressing to the EFL Cup final, whilst Arsenal will hope they can match the FA Cup-winning feats of 2014 and 2015.

Of course, weakened starting XIs are somewhat inevitable at this time of year, which adds an element of unpredictability to Saturday's clash at St. Mary's. Nonetheless, statistics can be a real eye-opener in terms of what to expect from any given game and with that in mind, we've taken a look at THREE numerical gems that give us an insight into how the fourth-round clash could pan out.

Southampton love crosses

Southampton may not seem like a particularly big aerial threat, but that hasn't stopped Claude Puel's side launching crosses for fun this season. Indeed, Saints average the most crosses-per-match of any Premier League side this term at a whopping 27 and although they do lack that aerial target in the final third, crosses always carry a chance of creating havoc in the box. This statistic should worry Gunners fans; in contrast, Arsenal rank 14th throughout the Premier League for aerial duels won this season.

Courtesy of Whoscored.

Bogey team

A state of affairs most Arsenal fans will already be well aware of - Southampton are very much the Gunners' bogey team, taking three victories from their last six meetings compared to Arsenal's two despite their usual distance in the Premier League table. What stands out most, however, is the north London outfit's goal tally. They've scored the most goals from open play of any Premier League side this term, 35, but have managed just three goals throughout their last six encounters with the Saints, two of which came in the same game last season. Fortunately for them, Southampton have been weakened at the back by Virgil van Dijk's injury.

Courtesy of Whoscored.

Arsenal attack through the middle

There's a common gameplan to beating Arsenal, or at the very least frustrating them, and this statistic pays homage to how effective it can be. Whilst most Premier League side tend to favour one flank or both, Arsenal's attacking play is much more evenly spread with 33% going via the middle of the pitch - the highest percentage throughout the Premier League. And as Gunners fans will be more than aware, that usually sees sides sit deep and try to bog down the No.10 area as much as possible - something Claude Puel will surely attempt on Saturday.

Courtesy of Whoscored.