Arsenal will look to maintain their lead at the summit when they travel to Aston Villa in a mouthwatering Premier League clash on Saturday.
Unai Emery’s side have moved to third in the standings following their stunning 1-0 success over Manchester City last time out.
Match Preview
Villa suffered a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Newcastle United in their league opener. But since that humiliating defeat, they have seen a huge turnaround, winning 10 of their next 14 matches.
Their best performance of the campaign came on Wednesday when they completely outclassed defending champions City at the Villa Park.
The Lions had 22 shots compared to their rivals’ just two, and the hosts deservedly picked up maximum points after Leon Bailey’s 74th-minute winner.
Following that victory, Unai Emery’s side are now being considered as genuine contenders for a top-four finish.
On the other hand, Arsenal have also enjoyed an excellent top-flight campaign so far. They missed out on the Premier League title last term but look intent on getting their hands on the coveted trophy this time.
The Gunners spent a club record fee on Declan Rice but the 24-year-old’s excellent performances suggest he is worth every penny.
Mikel Arteta’s side were not entirely convincing against Luton Town in midweek, but they still edged the away contest 4-3 after Rice’s stunning injury-time winner.
Team News
Aston Villa have a few injury woes this weekend, with Bertrand Traore, Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings all in the infirmary. We are not expecting Emery to make a lot of changes to the team that won against City in midweek.
As for Arsenal, Takehiro Tomiyasu will likely be sidelined for a while after he picked up a knock against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend. Meanwhile, Emile Smith Rowe, Fabio Vieira, Thomas Partey and Jurrien Timber will also be unavailable for selection due to fitness issues.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal potential line-ups
Aston Villa: Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Diaby, Luiz, Kamara, McGinn; Tielemans; Watkins
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli
How to Watch?
Aston Villa vs Arsenal, as well as all other top-flight matches in England, can be watched via football streams.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal prediction
Both sides are in excellent form at the moment, and so Saturday’s match is likely to be a very interesting affair. Villa will have the home advantage, but we are still backing Arsenal to prevail due to the quality of their attackers.
Aston Villa 2-3 Arsenal
