Mikel Arteta is ready for a big test away at Aston Villa, as both teams look for a significant result to gain a stronghold.
Arsenal fans and many pundits are still arguing whether it was the Aston Villa result at the Emirates that killed their chances of the Premier League title or if it were those dropped points back in December. Of the five losses the Gunners suffered last campaign, two came at the hands of Unai Emery’s side.
In hindsight, Aston Villa put the brakes on a tremendous run at the start of 2024, and the result at the Emirates remains their only loss this year in the Premier League. Villa themselves finished the season on a high and qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in a long while. They opened their Premier League campaign with a hard-fought victory away at West Ham.
New arrival Amadou Onana opened the scoring within three minutes from a corner, only for a Lucas Paqueta penalty to cancel out that lead. Substitute Jhon Duran provided the spark late on with the winner, as Emery’s side held on to collect three points. However, the Arsenal clash will be a testing game for the manager which will show either show them problems or make a statement of intent.
On the other side of the argument, many Arsenal fans believe their team were unlucky against Aston Villa on both occasions last season. At the Emirates, the Gunners were the dominant side. But Emery’s men proved their worth by taking all their chances when it arrived.
Mikel Arteta has been in an optimistic mood since the season began, as Arsenal opened their campaign at the Emirates with a comfortable win over Wolves. Kai Havertz opened the scoring in the first half, with Bukayo Saka killing the game late on with a stunning strike from close range.
Arteta will hope to banish his bad luck against the former Arsenal manager Emery, to whom he has already lost dramatically during his time at the Emirates. Arsenal have a formidable record at Villa Park, something the manager will look to improve, as a win here would be a big statement of intent from the North Londoners, who have two more big away games coming up after this against Tottenham and Manchester City.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
There are no fresh injury problems for Aston Villa, despite Matty Cash being withdrawn in the opening game with an apparent knock. There are some doubts with substitute goalkeeper Robin Olsen, although Emi Martinez is nailed on for a starting berth.
Sticking with the Matty Cash problem, should Unai Emery resort to caution, he does have the option of playing Ezri Konsa, who featured as a right-back throughout last season, in the position. In that case, Diego Carlos, despite his links with an exit, could be drafted into a central role alongside Pau Torres.
Jhon Duran might have pushed the boat for a starting berth after his goalscoring cameo against the Hammers. For Emery, it is a bright idea to accommodate both the Colombian and Ollie Watkins in the setup, as he could resort to keeping the striker on the bench and retaining the current shape.
Morgan Rogers has proved he deserves to keep his starting place, while Emery will look at Leon Bailey to bring something extra on the pitch. In midfield, Belgian pair Onana and Youri Tielemans are nailed on to start, while Lucas Digne will start at left-back.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Bailey, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins
Arsenal
The Gunners are also with a similar squad they had last weekend, with only Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney still on the sidelines. Fabio Vieira has returned to training after missing the Wolves game. But he is the subject of a loan move back to former club FC Porto.
Hence, youngster Ethan Nwaneri may take over his spot in the matchday squad and could find himself on the bench once again. Beyond that Mikel Arteta may make only slight alterations for the game between Arsenal and Aston Villa, as his big problem would be to focus on choosing his starting midfielder and left-back.
With Oleksandr Zinchenko still considered suspect defensively, the idea of Jurrien Timber would appeal to Arteta and his coaching staff. Riccardo Calafiori is also an option, but the Italian is not regarded as ready to start just yet and may have to wait a while before he gets his opportunities.
The midfield problem revolves around whether to push Kai Havertz back into the left-eight role or keep him in the No.9 role. Should Arteta opt for the former, then Gabriel Jesus will start up front, and in the case of the latter, Thomas Partey will keep his place at the base of the midfield.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Raya; Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
Key Stats
- Aston Villa have scored at least two goals in their last eight home Premier League games.
- Aston Villa did the double over Arsenal last season.
- Arsenal have collected 25 of the 27 available points on the road in the Premier League in 2024.
- Arsenal have kept seven clean sheets in those nine away games, conceding only three goals on the road in 2024.
- Arsenal have won their last seven matches in the Premier League.
Player To Watch
Kai Havertz
The German has steadily established himself in Mikel Arteta’s primary group, and his form has rendered him indispensable. While he took a while to get going in front of the goal last season, it took barely half an hour for Havertz to post his first goal this season.
Arteta can also reliably use him in a midfield role, although with the acquisition of Mikel Merino, Havertz is nailed on to start games in that effective centre-forward role. His physical attributes have troubled defences, and with him leading the line, Arsenal will be dangerous in away games like the upcoming one at Villa Park.
Prediction
Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal
Unai Emery is fired up when facing Arsenal since departing the club in 2019, and he proved a point by doing a double over his former side last season. Whether that streak has legs remains to be seen, as this Gunners side will come with all guns blazing at Villa Park.
Mikel Arteta will want a good enough test for his players and appear ready to take on Villa in this tricky away clash. The Gunners are a settled side compared to Villa, who are still integrating some of their new signings as well as a new system without their starting midfielders from last season. Hence, there’s a big chance for Arsenal to take three points, with our prediction points at Emery’s side scoring at some stage.