Key events
Unai Emery speaks to Sky Sports. “Good evening … definitely this is the biggest challenge we can face … we are motivated … excited [by] this moment with the three-point difference between us and Arsenal.”
Meanwhile Sky Sports ask Mikel Arteta about the nature of Declan Rice’s injury. “He got a big kick in his knee [against Brighton] … at the start of the match actually … by the time he finished the match he had a massive swell-up … [this game] was too early for him … I hope when the swelling comes out he can function … he will be fine.”
A reminder of what happened when these teams met at Villa Park 24 days ago. One of the reasons why Ed Aarons has identified the Villans as the “thorn in Arsenal’s side”.
Arsenal make two changes to the side that started the 2-1 win over Brighton. Jurriën Timber returns from injury, while Gabriel makes his first start since early November. Myles Lewis-Skelley drops to the bench, but Declan Rice misses out altogether with a minor knee problem. Kai Havertz returns to the bench, available for the first time since the opening day at Manchester United.
Aston Villa make five changes to their starting XI after the 2-1 win at Chelsea. Ollie Watkins is rewarded for his match-turning cameo at Stamford Bridge, stepping up along with Jadon Sancho, Amadou Onana, Lucas Digne and Lamare Bogarde. Ian Maatsen, Donyell Malen and captain John McGinn drop to the bench, while Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara are suspended.
The teams
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Odegaard, Zubimendi, Merino, Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, White, Gabriel Jesus, Eze, Martinelli, Norgaard, Madueke, Havertz, Lewis-Skelly.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Bogarde, Lindelof, Konsa, Digne, Onana, Tielemans, Sancho, Buendia, Rogers, Watkins.
Subs: Bizot, Wright, McGinn, Garcia, Malen, Jimoh, Maatsen, Hemmings, Routh.
Referee: Darren England
VAR: Jarred Gillett
Preamble
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas a three-way title race …
… and while few at the start of the season would have identified one of the protagonists as Aston Villa, here we are. Since losing at Anfield at the start of November, Unai Emery’s side have gone on a remarkable run, winning 11 matches in a row, eight of those in the Premier League. One of those wins came at the expense of Arsenal 24 days ago, so they’ll head to the Emirates tonight full of confidence, hoping to complete a third league double over their hosts in six seasons. The Lions are purring.
Arsenal by contrast … well, they’re not exactly struggling, are they, sitting atop the table, on a three-match winning run in the league. But they’re not quite hitting the heights of that late-November Bayern Munich / Tottenham Hotspur sweet spot. They’ve kind of stumbled over the line in their last three home fixtures – league wins over Wolves and Brighton, and the Carabao victory against Crystal Palace – while this weird stat of four of their last six goals being scored by the opposition, with one of the other two a penalty, doesn’t exactly inspire total confidence in a team that’s come up painfully short for three consecutive seasons.
But a win’s a win’s a win (x3) and there’s something in that old saw about champion-bound sides getting the job done without playing well. Imagine what they can do when it all clicks, and they get a few players back. So three points tonight would be a huge fillip for their hopes of finally getting their flowers. But if Villa come away with anything, even a point … well, it’ll really start to look a lot like a three-way race. It’s the first big clash of the season where it genuinely feels like something is on the line, and it kicks off at 8.15pm GMT. It’s on!
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