Arsenal travel away to Villa Park to face Unai Emery’s tricky Aston Villa side who are unbeaten in 14 home Premier League matches with the last loss coming against the Gunners dating back to February. The previous match week was a positive one for both sides as both clubs fought hard to narrow victories.
Aston Villa stunned Manchester City in a dominant and deserved 1-0 win. Villa’s only goal of the game was scored by Leon Bailey. Unai Emery’s boys restricted Man City to only 2 shots in the whole match. With this win, Aston Villa leapfrogged City and jumped to the 3rd spot in the Premier League.
Luton Town hosted Arsenal at Kenilworth Road in a game which saw Arsenal score a goal on the 97th minute as Declan Rice flew the highest to a first-time cross from Ødegaard. It was indeed a heartbreak for the Luton players losing out on points but for the Gunners, it meant that they went 2 points clear at the top with the 4-3 victory.
WHEN AND WHERE?
Date: 9th December 2023, Saturday
Time: 23:00 HRS IST
Venue: Villa Park
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Assistants: Darren Cann, James Mainwaring
Fourth official: Graham Scott.
VAR: Michael Salisbury
Assistant VAR: Scott Ledger
TEAM NEWS
For Aston Villa, the question stands whether Leon Bailey will keep his place after an impressive performance against City scoring the only goal but ended up limping to the bench. It also remains to be seen whether Emery would want to go back to his favoured right back Matty Cash or continue playing Konsa there. Emi Buendia, Traore and Tyrone Mings remain out.
For Arsenal, Thomas Partey and Jurien Timber are recovering from their long-term injuries. Others in this list are Fabio Viera and Emile Smith Rowe who are looking forward to joining the squad directly in 2024.
Zinchenko is expected to come back to his usual left-back spot replacing Kiwior who started against Luton. Ben White is expected to keep his place at right back. Takehiro Tomiyasu is the newest member of Arsenal’s unfortunate injury list this season as he’s expected to miss 4-6 weeks due to a calf injury. There are no fresh injuries in the squad apart from this.
PRE-GAME TACTICAL ANALYSIS
Aston Villa will see themselves have an advantage after their fine form at home but that doesn’t mean they can take the league leaders for granted. Arsenal have shown resilience at the back conceding the joint least goals this season (14).
Although Villa have won their last 14 matches at home, they’ve managed to keep only 2 clean sheets in this run which does look a bit concerning defensively.
With the squad being narrowed down for Arteta, he’ll have little scope to change his side against Villa, and he himself won’t be available on the touchline because he picked up the third yellow card of the season celebrating Declan Rice’s late winner against Luton.
Given the quality of both sides in recent weeks we can guarantee that this will be a high-scoring fixture. Neither side would be too disappointed should the points be shared.
KEY PLAYERS
Bukayo Saka
Saka has registered 5 Goals and 6 Assists this season, and leads the statistics for combined G/A this season in the Premier League. Of course, it’ll be a tough battle against an in-form Villa side but Bukayo Saka could well and truly be the focal point for Arsenal to create threats for Aston Villa. His ability to cut inside and dribble through defences is a skillset that often works. His pairing with Ben White who makes off the ball runs from the right flank can be another way to create chances for the Gunners.
Leon Bailey
Registering 5 goals and 3 assists to his name this season, Leon Bailey is having a phenomenal season under Unai Emery. He leads the stats for most goals and assists per 90 in the PL this season (500+ minutes) averaging at 1.32. He has being giving every defender he’s faced headaches this season. Acting to go one way but going the other is a Leon Bailey thing. One of the most improved players ever since Emery has taken charge.
Gabriel Jesus
Not the best start to the season Jesus would’ve expected after suffering through injuries but he’s slowly retained fitness and made sure that his name is highlighted on the scoresheet. Playing a full 90 minutes against Luton and registering a goal and an assist will make a world of difference for his confidence. Jesus’s holdup play is always the most reliable way forward to progress the ball; with Havertz right behind him, they can both combine to be a lethal threat in the game especially, aerially.
Predicted Lineups
Aston Villa predicted XI vs Arsenal: Martinez. Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne, Bailey, Luiz, Kamara, McGinn, Tielemans, Watkins.
Arsenal predicted XI vs Aston Villa: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Rice, Havertz, Odegaard, Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.