Arsenal face Southampton in an FA Cup quarter-final tie on Saturday night at St. Mary’s Stadium, with Mikel Arteta’s side eager to bounce back from their Carabao Cup final defeat prior to the international break.
The Spaniard’s team were beaten by Manchester City at Wembley two weeks ago, with a second-half brace from Nico O’Reilly ending the Gunners’ hopes of winning an unprecedented quadruple. They remain on course for a treble, however, and their run-in begins when they travel to the south coast on Saturday.
The North Londoners sit nine points clear at the top of the Premier League and have a Champions League quarter-final clash with Sporting CP to come. Thus, Arteta may rotate significantly against the Saints, with key players likely to be protected ahead of these more pressing matches.
Southampton have their own league ambitions to focus on, as they currently sit seventh in the Championship with a game in hand on many of the teams above them. Tonda Eckert’s outfit have a crucial encounter against the side directly above them in the English second division, Wrexham, on Tuesday, and thus, the German boss may also ring the changes for the visit of the Premier League leaders.
Arsenal beat Southampton twice last season in the top flight, in comfortable fashion in both games, and Arteta will hope that his team can emerge victorious in a similarly serene way this time out. With that said, here’s a look at the FA’s pick for the match officials for Southampton vs Arsenal.
Who is the referee for Southampton vs Arsenal?
The FA have announced that Sam Barrott will be the referee in charge of Arsenal’s match against Southampton.
Barrott has officiated three Gunners games so far this season, with Arteta’s men winning all three of these without conceding.
He was in charge for Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Sunderland back in February, their 1-0 victory over Everton at the Hill Dickinson in December, and their 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Brighton, also in December.
Sam Barrott’s record against Arsenal
Barott has been a Premier League referee since 2024 and has officiated eight Arsenal games throughout his career.
In these games, he’s handed the Gunners 8 yellow cards, no red cards and one penalty.
| Barrott’s record refereeing Arsenal matches | |||
| Matches | Arsenal wins | Draws | Arsenal defeats |
| 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Sam Barrott’s record against Southampton
As for Southampton, Barrott has officiated 5 of the Saints’ games, giving them 9 yellow cards, no red cards, and one penalty in the process.
| Barrott’s record refereeing Southampton matches | |||
| Matches | Southampton wins | Draws | Southampton defeats |
| 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Who are the assistant referees and VAR?
Alongside Sam Barrott as the referee will be his assistants, James Mainwaring, Wade Smith and Tom Bramall, with the former two running the line and the latter the fourth official.
In the VAR room, Farai Hallam will oversee the game, with Nick Hopton assisting him.
