Aston Villa vs Arsenal: Match predictions, team news, line-ups, result, head-to-head, venue, date, time, where to watch
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa would be upbeat to face Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal after wreaking a stunning havoc at Villa Park against treble winners and defending champions Manchester City, where Leon Bailey’s wonder strike helped the Villans beat Pep Guardiola’s City. To add to their fantasies, Villa has surpassed City and has cemented their spot on the third place on the table, and would be eager to strengthen their position when they welcome the current league leaders Arsenal on Saturday.
A clash between old friends
Unai Emery would be eager to meet his old ‘friends’ when he welcomes Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal to Villa Park in another high-intensity clash on the top-half of the table, as Emery would be facing the side he was once at helm. But, things seem to have changed a lot since last time, as Aston Villa might just have created the biggest stir of the season when they defeated Manchester City at Villa Park, with Leon Bailey’s deflected shot at goal being the point of difference between two sides. To add to their owes, City could just muster a meagre two shots on target, compared to the hosts Aston Villa, who had gone 22 times with the ball towards the goal. With this maniacal victory, Unai Emery’s side have toppled City, surpassing them to be on the third spot, strengthening their position for next season’s UEFA Champions League qualification. But, facing Arsenal and registering another stunning victory against the Gunners would not be n easy cup of tea for Emery’s brigade as Arteta’s side would look to consolidate their position on the top of the table.
Arsenal, on the other hand, would be pumped up to face one more of their tough competitors this season, after winning a thriller against Premier League debutants Luton Town. The Hatters, who were almost on the verge of defeating Arteta’s side, were left heartbroken at the dying minutes of the game, when former West Ham skipper Declan Rice decided to become clutch and seal the winner for them. The match was hanging well in balance, with either side winning the game at any moment, in a topsy-turvy situation. But, in the end it was all smiles at the Gunners camp when Rice showcased his mettle to add justice to his humongous transfer fee and scored the winner, breaking thousands of hearts at the Kenilworth Road. With that victory, they had strengthened their spot at the top, and with City settling for an ‘unsettling’ draw against Spurs, Arteta’s men were on seventh heaven with all three points in their bag.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal: Team News
With a nail-biter on the cards, both Emery and Arteta would be tempted to field their strongest eleven on the field, with an eye on all three points. But injuries and suspensions might be the reason of concern for both sides, as they would be missing the services for several strong names.
As for the hosts Aston Villa, Emery would be without the services of seasoned defender Tyrone Mings, who is forced to the sidelines till next year’s April, coupled with Emi Buendia, who joins Mings on the bench till early February 2024 owing to ACL injury. Bertrand Traore, another important name among the Villa ranks would be on the sidelines for few days.
Meanwhile, the injury list is quite longer for Arsenal, with several of their star players on the sidelines. It includes Thomas Partey, whose muscle injury rules him out till January 2024. Tomiyasu would be doubtful for the clash against Villa owing to a recent calf injury. Along with them , Jurrien Timber would be joining the sidelines owing to a knee injury ruling him out till March 2024, with Emile Smith-Rowe and Fabio Viera expected to be out for few days.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal: predicted line-up
Aston Villa: Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Ramsay, Kamara, Bailey, McGinn; Tielemans, Watkins
Arsenal: Ramsdale; Zinchenko, Gabriel, Saliba, White; Havertz, Rice, Odegaard; Martinelli, Jesus, Saka
Aston Villa vs Arsenal: predicted result
Aston Villa 2-2 Arsenal
Aston Villa vs Arsenal: head-to-head
Aston Villa wins: 5
Arsenal wins: 16
Draws: 1
Last meeting: Aston Villa 2-4 Arsenal (18th February, 2023)
Aston Villa vs Arsenal: Venue, Date, Time, Where to Watch
Venue: Villa Park
Date: 9th December, 2023
Time: 11:00 PM (IST)
Where to Watch: Star Sports Select
