Arsenal head to Villa Park to take on one of the most in-form teams in the division as Unai Emery’s Aston Villa welcome the league leaders, so let’s take a look at the latest team news.
The north Londoners had to dig deep at Luton Town to get a last-gasp winner that ensured they remained at the top. A repeat of that kind of performance at the weekend will ensure that the hosts get their 15th consecutive win at home.
A major blow is the absence of Takehiro Tomiyasu who is injured once again. If fit, it is almost a certainty that the Japan international would have started to nullify the threat Villa possess on the wings.
Thomas Partey and Jurrien Timber are the other players who are injured and will take some time to return. Mikel Arteta will be concerned with rotating his defenders but apart from that, the squad is in good shape with no new injury concerns.
Arsenal Fever View:
For the Gunners to get a win, they will have to produce one of their best performances of the season. That is the level at which Villa have been playing. This is a team that dominated Manchester City a few days ago and is quite dangerous.
The visitors need to focus on getting the most out of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. The wingers have the ability to get past Villa full-backs who themselves like to attack at every opportunity.
Being clinical in front of goal is the best way to get past Villa who will look to be direct with their pressing and direct running. The likes of Leon Bailey, Moussa Diaby and Ollie Watkins have more than enough pace and skill to hurt the north Londoners.
One name that Arteta would have told his players to be careful about is Douglas Luiz. The midfielder who is also linked with a move to the Emirates is deadly from set pieces. If this aspect is taken care of, it mitigates a lot of problems.
Arsenal have shown that they can get past tough games and if they do so on Saturday, it will send a message to the rest of the league. Arteta will hope that the players can avoid mistakes and seal the three points.
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