Southampton striker Graziano Pelle to miss match versus Arsenal

Stately and suave, towering and rangy with a nose for goal. Graziano Pelle is all of those things, though injury proof he is not.

Ahead of a Boxing Day visit from Arsenal, Southampton's Italian international goal-machine Pelle has been ruled out with a knee injury, as the south coast club announced moments before the match Saturday.

Pelle, 30, has started 15 of the Saints' matches this season, scoring six goals with two assists for a Southampton side that has failed to replicate the successes of previous campaigns, sitting in 12th on 21 points, a mere four shy of the drop zone.