Two of the Premier League’s high three go head-to-head on Saturday as we put our six-match profitable run on the road towards in-form Aston Villa, who sit simply 4 factors behind us on the league’s summit.
Since we beat the Villans on their very own patch again in February, Unai Emery’s crew have gone on to win all 14 of their residence league encounters together with Wednesday’s dominant success over Manchester City, and can break a membership report ought to they make it 15 in a row at our expense.
However now we have received every of our final 4 conferences with Villa, but when we’re to repeat that feat we’ll have to take action with out Mikel Arteta on the touchline as he’ll watch on from the stands after selecting up a ban for accumulating three yellow playing cards this time period.
Emery’s Villa actual deal
Having ended final season by profitable 10 of their last 15 fixtures, Villa have continued that type into this marketing campaign by forcing their approach into the fledgling title race, whereas additionally reaching the knockout levels of the UEFA Conference League with a sport to spare.
Heavy defeats at Newcastle United and Liverpool of their opening 4 video games proved to be an exception, as they’ve gone on to win eight of their subsequent 11 matches.
Their solely different league loss got here at Nottingham Forest final month, and Villa Park has change into the fortress of all fortresses as they’ve received all seven Premier League video games on residence soil.
The final of these noticed them declare a 1-0 success over reigning champions City in midweek due to Leon Bailey’s purpose, in what was their most eye-catching show throughout the Emery period, rising expectations within the second metropolis that one thing particular may very well be brewing for the claret and blues.
What the managers say
Emery: “I’m going to be very deeply analysing how we will face the match tomorrow, hopefully being higher in our performances individually and collectively. How we completed the match on Wednesday is essential as a result of they did a tremendous effort, however a tough effort.
“If you need to play at this stage, taking part in towards the best groups on this planet within the Premier League, the problem may be very exhausting. Our ambition is for an thrilling second with our supporters with the rivals we need to face and the way we will face them. Tomorrow is one other step forward, taking part in towards perhaps the best crew on this season within the Premier League.”
Arteta: “Tactically [Villa] are rather well arrange, they do two or three various things, they’re actually courageous to play from the again. They actually assault you as a result of they’ve gamers between the strains that may harm you; they’ve gamers in open areas which are continuously threatening you.
“But not solely that, the spirit that they’ve created, the environment, the depth, and the idea that they’ve in the mean time that they will go on and beat anyone.
“It’s a great place to go, one of my favourite grounds, a very English ground and a great atmosphere to play football in.” – learn each phrase from Mikel’s pre-match press convention
Team information
Following the Luton sport, Arteta advised that Takehiro Tomiyasu is ready for a couple of weeks on the sidelines as a result of a calf damage, becoming a member of fellow full-back Jurrien Timber within the therapy room.
Thomas Partey, Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe are our different absentees as they proceed to rehab from their respective illnesses.
Emery can be with out long-term damage casualties Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia who picked up knee accidents earlier within the marketing campaign, whereas winger Bertrand Traore has a knock and is unlikely to characteristic.
Talking techniques
Adrian Clarke: Villa normally line up in a slim 4-2-2-2 formation however as they confirmed towards Manchester City final day out, they will additionally revert to a 4-5-1.
Pushing their again 4 up as excessive as they will, and tucking their vast gamers infield, Villa intentionally flip the center third right into a crowded place the place it’s exhausting to place your foot on the ball. This helps them create invaluable turnovers, however holding such a excessive line comes with a component of threat.
Captain John McGinn is a participant we should hold shut tabs on. He drifts in from the left into some nice pockets of area, and from these areas the Scot has the expertise to offer targets and assists. Another key power is the tempo and motion of Ollie Watkins, who has scored eight Premier League targets at a charge of 1 each 163 minutes.
Knowing he’ll tirelessly run the channels; Emery’s aspect are in a position to go from again to entrance faster than most Premier League groups. In truth, nobody has produced extra direct assaults than Aston Villa (38) within the season up to now.
A key battleground to look out for is Declan Rice versus Douglas Luiz, two of the strongest all-round central midfielders within the nation. The Brazilian is having fun with a tremendous marketing campaign because the heartbeat of Emery’s aspect, and will probably be fascinating to see who features the higher hand of their duel.
Facts and stats
We have received 36 factors this season, solely having extra factors at this stage of a top-flight marketing campaign in 1990/91 (37), 2007/08 (37) and 2022/23 (40).
We have misplaced simply two of our final 21 away Premier League video games towards Aston Villa (W12 D7), dropping consecutively in 2019/20 and 2020/21.
We might change into simply the third aspect to attain 100 targets towards Aston Villa within the Premier League (at the moment 98) after Manchester United (101) and Liverpool (100).
Aston Villa have received every of their final 14 Premier League residence video games by an mixture scoreline of 38-7, by no means conceding greater than a single purpose in any sport throughout this run.
Only Man City and Man Utd (47 every) have received extra residence Premier League factors in 2023 than Villa (46 – W15 D1 L2).
Villa are winless in eight Premier League video games towards sides beginning the day high of the desk (D1 L7), dropping the final 5 in a row. Their final such victory was in March 2014 (1-0 vs Chelsea).
Since the beginning of final season, now we have received extra away video games (17) and extra away factors (55) than every other Premier League aspect. The Gunners have additionally conceded fewer targets on the highway than every other ever-present aspect in that point (24).
Leon Bailey has been concerned in eight targets in his final 12 Premier League appearances (5 targets, 3 assists). The Jamaican hasn’t accomplished 90 minutes in any of these video games, averaging a purpose or help each 63 minutes.
Ollie Watkins has 4 targets in six Premier League appearances towards us, scoring in two of three such video games at Villa Park.
Both Gabriel Jesus (P58 W53 D5 L0) and Gabriel Martinelli (P26 W22 D4 L0) have by no means misplaced a Premier League sport by which they’ve scored in.
Match officers
For the primary time since November 2022, Australian Jarred Gillett is handed considered one of our video games to supervise, with the final encounter seeing us exit the League Cup by the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion. He additionally took cost of our 2-1 win towards Fulham within the opening month of final season.
We have received three of the 4 events he has been our referee, and it’ll be the third time already this marketing campaign he has taken cost of a Villa sport, on the again of their win at Chelsea and 2-0 loss at Nottingham Forest – the final time they tasted defeat.
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Assistants: Darren Cann, James Mainwaring
Fourth official: Graham Scott
VAR: Michael Salisbury
Assistant VAR: Scott Ledger
Recent journeys to Villa Park
Against no aspect have we received extra Premier League away video games than now we have towards Villa with quantity 14 racked up in February after we netted twice late on by an Emi Martinez personal purpose and a Gabriel Martinelli breakaway to clinch a 4-2 triumph that put us again on high of the desk.
Bukayo Saka was additionally on track that day, and the season before he netted the one purpose of the sport to clinch victory.
We have misplaced simply two of our final 21 away Premier League video games at Villa Park, however each of these got here consecutively within the type of 1-0 defeats in 2019/20 and 2020/21, the final of which noticed Ollie Watkins seize the winner.
See 5 of our best wins on the residence of the Villans, together with Robert Pires magic, and braces from John Hartson and Ian Wright.
How to observe
Tune into Arsenal.com and the official app from an hour before kick-off the place Nicole Holliday and Jeremie Aliadiere can be available to give you all of the best Gooner-related build-up to the sport at Villa Park.
They can be reflecting on the craziness of our win at Luton Town, in addition to wanting in-depth into what makes our opponents tick this time period, the place we might probably exploit their weaknesses, in addition to offering an replace on how our academy and girls’s groups are faring on what’s a giant weekend for each.
Then they’re going to hand over to Dan Roebuck and Jonathon Rogers who will present stay commentary from the bottom as we intention to make it seven-straight wins and keep our spot on the high of the league.
You can even discover out which broadcaster is showing the game wherever you might be on this planet.
Copyright 2023 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to make use of quotations from this text is granted topic to acceptable credit score being given to www.arsenal.com because the supply.
