In-form Aston Villa host title challengers Arsenal in a mouth-watering Premier League clash on Saturday evening.
Describing Aston Villa just as ‘in-form’ may not even be fair anymore after Unai Emery’s side dominated Manchester City to record a 14th consecutive league victory at Villa Park on Wednesday night. The Midlands giants sit third in the table, just four points behind Arsenal.
The Gunners picked up three points of their own during the midweek fixtures as they dramatically beat Luton Town 4-3 at Kenilworth Road.
Here is all that you need to know about Arsenal’s trip to face Aston Villa on Saturday in the Premier League.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
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United Kingdom |
Sky Ultra HD, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event, BBC Radio 5 Live, SKY GO Extra |
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United States |
SiriusXM FC, NBCTelemundo, Peacock, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada |
The main concern for Aston Villa coming into this game from a fitness perspective is Leon Bailey. Having played superbly and got the winning goal against Man City, the Jamaica international limped off the pitch.
If Bailey is unable to play on Saturday evening, he will join Bertrand Traore, Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings on the injury list. Having played so well against Man City, Emery is not expected to tinker much with his team for what could be a very similar task.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Arsenal (4-4-1-1): Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Diaby, Luiz, Kamara, McGinn; Tielemans; Watkins.
As for Arsenal, the injury list has not gotten any smaller for Mikel Arteta. Takehiro Tomiyasu is going to be out for a while with the calf issue he picked up last weekend, while the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Fabio Vieira, Thomas Partey and Jurrien Timber are all expected to be sidelined until 2024.
That means there is little scope for Arteta to change his side against Villa, and he will not even be on the touchline for this game because he got his third yellow card of the season celebrating Declan Rice’s late winner against Luton.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs Aston Villa (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.
Given the quality that these two sides have been showing in recent weeks, it is really hard to pick a winner. There is the potential for goals though, which is one of many reasons as to why this game is worth watching.
Arsenal are lacking defensive alternatives but you can never bet against the Gunners finding the net. This one may well end up as a draw at Villa Park, but it could well be a high-scoring contest to entertain the neutral.
