Arsenal will have a chance to take revenge on Aston Villa and assert their dominance in the Premier League title race when Unai Emery returns to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night. Villa head to north London and boast a club record 11 consecutive wins in all competitions, fresh off a last-minute 2-1 win over Arsenal earlier this month.
Despite looking a little tired, the Gunners achieved hard-fought wins against Wolves, Everton, Crystal Palace (via penalties in the Carabao Cup) and Brighton despite some key injuries. Defender Gabriel is in contention for a place in the starting lineup after coming on as a substitute against Brighton, but important decisions have to be made up front as Victor Goqueres struggles to regain his form. Let’s take a look at the players likely to start on Tuesday…
ryan taylor
A lot will depend on the fitness of Julian Timber and Riccardo Calafioli. Arteta previewed the game against Villa immediately after the defeat against Brighton and did not hold a pre-match press conference, so there is some uncertainty as to who will play.
However, there is a bit of an enigma about Arteta, which could work in Arsenal’s favor. I am operating under the assumption that Timber may be available and Calafioli may not, but I believe that if the Italian is available, he will start.
I chose a back four of Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães and Piero Hincapie, with Miles Lewis-Skelly relegated to the bench. This allows Declan Rice to return to midfield alongside Martin Zvimendi and Martin Odegaard.
I think Arteta could continue with the same attack he deployed against Brighton, with Victor Goqueres spearheading the attack, with Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka joining him on the wing.
Mikel Merino could play in the final 30 minutes, while Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke could act as “finishers” off the bench.
Arsenal XI vs Aston Villa: Raya;Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie. Zvimendi, Reis, Odegaard. Saka, Trossard, Gökeres.
matt maltby
It’s an important match.
Mikel Arteta understands what is at stake, but he shouldn’t take too many risks.
It seems too early to reintroduce Gabriel from the start, and Timber will have to start at right-back if he is given the all-clear by the medical team.
Otherwise, Rice will have to play the right-back role again, but Arteta would really do well to have the England star play in his preferred position.
Rice and Zvimendi will provide stability to Arsenal’s midfield, while Odegaard will have more freedom to move. His performance in the win against Brighton was remarkable and Arteta needs to lift the restriction again.
Eze has experience of defeating Aston Villa and was part of the Palace team that beat the Villains to win the FA Cup last season. Place him on the left wing, but allow him to drift inside and potentially swap roles with Saka depending on how the game develops.
Gyokeles shouldn’t be in the starting lineup. He is not contributing enough to the Gunners at the moment.
Gabriel Jesus could put pressure on Villa’s defense, but I would choose Merino due to his physical presence and height, which could be key during set-pieces.
Arsenal XI vs Aston Villa: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Lewis Skelly. Reis, Odegaard, Zvimendi. Saka, Merino, Eze.
