- The Arsenal vs Aston Villa match will start at 8:30 PM EAT on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium.
- Both clubs have been hit with injuries ahead of the clash.
Aston Villa and Arsenal are set to lock horns in a mouth-watering Premier League tie on Saturday night.
The two sides will prepare for the clash that is expected to be staged at the Emirates Stadium on the back of narrow wins.
Arsenal secured a 2-1 victory over their arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspurs in an intriguing London Derby that was played on Wednesday, January 15.
An own goal from Tottenham’s forward Dominic Solanke and a brilliant strike from Belgium international Leandro Trossard were enough to guarantee the Mikel Arteta coached side the sweet victory that increased their tally to 43 points.
Tottenham, who are currently facing an injury crisis, scored their goal via Son Heung Min shot that was deflected into the net.
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Although the Gunners missed several chances, they showed a slight improvement from their recent matches where they were very blunt in front of goal.
The Gunners will aim to continue with their good form as they try to catch up with league leaders Liverpool FC, who sit at the top of the log with 47 points.
Similar to Arsenal, Aston Villa also bagged up three points in their midweek clash against Everton to move a step closer to qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the second time in a row.
Aston Villa’s goal came courtesy of Ollie Watkins, who received a pinpoint pass before shooting it past the diving Everton custodian Jordan Pickford.
Here are the key details you need to comprehend ahead of the upcoming tie.
What time does Arsenal vs Aston Villa start?
The match is planned to kick off at 8:30 PM East African Time (EAT) on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal vs Aston Villa Team News
Arsenal will miss the services of a number of their important players who are nursing various types of injuries.
The defensive duo of Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White are recovering from knee problems at the moment while Bukayo Saka, and Ethan Nwaneri are sidelined because of hamstring and muscle issues respectively.
Moreover, Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus will miss the rest of the season after picking up an ACL injury in last weekend’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester United.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa will be without Ross Barkley (calf), Pau Torres (foot) and John McGinn (thigh) while Diego Carlos is racing against time to recover from a minor injury.
Possible Starting Lineups
Arsenal: Raya, Lewis-Skelly, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Sterling, Havertz, Trossard
Aston Villa: Martinez, Digne, Konsa, Mings, Cash, Onana, Kamara, Tielemans, Rogers, Bailey, Watkins
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Arsenal vs Aston Villa Head-to-head
Arsenal and Aston Villa have played each other five times in all competitions since 2022 with the Gunners registering three victories. None of those fixtures ended in a draw.
Arsenal had an upper hand in the latest game between the two clubs that was staged at Villa Park on August 24, 2024. Second half goals from Trossard and Thomas Partey proved to be the difference in that hotly contested tie.
Arsenal: 3
Draw: 0
Aston Villa: 2
Arsenal vs Aston Villa Current Form (all competitions)
Arsenal: WDLLW
Aston Villa: LDWWW
Arsenal vs Aston Villa Predictions
Arsenal are the favorites to triumph in this match because they will have the home advantage and they are currently undefeated while playing at the Emirates Stadium this season.
However, Aston Villa could make life harder for them if they fail to take their chances like they have done in recent matches.
Therefore, football fans should expect an entertaining game that is likely to end with both clubs scoring a goal.
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