(Football news) Aston Villa will welcome the Gunners to Villa Park on Saturday with Mikel Arteta’s team hoping to secure the three points and extend their lead over Manchester United in the race for the top four. Steven Gerrard’s team lost 3-1 to West Ham United in the last match while the Gunners were defeated 2-0 by Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.
Aston Villa will be concerned by their home form this season and will look to rediscover their form that saw the team win three consecutive games with three clean sheets before their defeat to the Hammers. In an interview earlier this week, Mikel Arteta had expressed his frustration about the lack of recovery time for his side to be prepared for the 12:30 pm kick off time on Saturday. The loss against Liverpool meant that Arsenal’s five game unbeaten run at home had ended but they can take solace in the fact that their four game unbeaten run away from home remains intact.
Earlier this season, Arsenal defeated Aston Villa 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium but will be wary heading into Villa Park, having suffered back-to-back 1-0 defeats since 2019 and fatigue could play a big factor in the overall result. In team news, Lucas Digne has been ruled out due to a muscle injury while Kortney Hause has an abdominal issue. Douglas Luiz and Calum Chambers are also unlikely to feature after suffering facial injuries against West Ham. Ashley Young is expected to be accommodated for Digne while Morgan Sanson is expected to replace Marvelous Nakamba who is still absent.
As for Arsenal, Takehiro Tomiyasu is out due to a calf injury while Gabriel Martinelli could be rested and Emile Smith Rowe replacing the Brazilian in the starting lineup. With the international break on the horizon, Mikel Arteta is expected to go with his strongest lineup despite fatigue being a crucial factor and the likes of Nicolas Pepe, Eddie Nketiah and Albert Sambi Lokonga looking to find a place in the starting XI. It’s expected to be a close match between the two sides but the Gunners are expected to secure the three points in this fixture.
