Arsenal vs Aston Villa Preview

After their midweek exertions in the Champions League, Arsenal return to the Premier League on Sunday when they host Aston Villa. The Gunners must win this game to keep their place at the top of the table.

On Tuesday, Mikel Arteta’s men were held to a 2-2 draw in the Champions League. Though disappointing, the result isn’t fatal as they can still progress to the next round if they win the second round at the Allianz Arena next week.

Meanwhile, they begin the weekend at the summit of the Premier League, yet with rivals Liverpool and Manchester City playing before them, the Gunners could be under serious pressure by the time they take to the field in North London.

However, hopes should be high that they can end the round top of the pile once again, especially as they hold an almost unblemished eleven-game unbeaten run in the league (W10, D1) while no side in the division boasts a better defensive record (GA: 24). That backline is far from impenetrable at the Emirates though with just five of their league-high 14 clean sheets coming on home soil and after losing the reverse fixture 1-0 in December, they could potentially be doubled by Villa for just the third time in the Premier League era.

Villa boss Unai Emery returns to his old stomping ground buoyed by beating Lille 2-1 in the Europa Conference League on Thursday on a landmark night that saw him bring up 1000 games in management. However, form has been harder to come by domestically with the visitors winning only one of their last five league outings (D2, L2). Their last league outing was a 3-3 draw with Brentford leaving them in fifth position on goal difference.

The Villans have the leakiest defence in the top-six and that could get worse as Villa have lost six of their last seven visits to the Emirates (W1). Yet, only the current top three have accumulated more points on their travels heading into the weekend so perhaps an upset could be on the cards.

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Premier League Fixtures:

Premier League Table