There could be huge moves at the top of the Premier League table on Sunday when title-chasing Arsenal host top-four hopefuls Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners head into this round of fixtures top of the standings and in control of their own destiny, but a single slip-up could see them fall as low as third if both Liverpool and Manchester City pick up results elsewhere.
As for Villa, their crushing 3-3 draw with Brentford last time out saw Unai Emery’s side lose control in the race for the top four, and they are now relying on a slump from Tottenham Hotspur in what appears set to be a two-horse race for fourth place.
Here’s all you need to know about this one.
Arsenal vs Aston Villa H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (all competitions)
Arsenal | Aston Villa |
|---|---|
Arsenal 2-2 Bayern Munich – 09/04/24 | Aston Villa 2-1 Lille – 11/04/24 |
Brighton 0-3 Arsenal – 06/04/24 | Aston Villa 3-3 Brentford – 06/04/24 |
Arsenal 2-0 Luton Town – 03/04/24 | Man City 4-1 Aston Villa – 03/04/24 |
Man City 0-0 Arsenal – 31/03/24 | Aston Villa 2-0 Wolves – 30/03/24 |
Arsenal 1-0 Porto – 12/03/24 | West Ham 1-1 Aston Villa – 17/03/24 |
Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | SKY GO Extra, Sky Ultra HD, Sky Sports Main Event, BBC Radio 5 Live, Sky Sports Premier League |
United States | Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, SiriusXM FC, nbcsports.com, NBC Sports App, USA Network, Telemundo |
Canada | fuboTV Canada |
Arsenal team news
Mikel Arteta declined to offer much of an update on the fitness of centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes, who played the full 90 minutes against Bayern Munich after shaking off an injury scare and is likely to retain his place in the team.
Namesake Gabriel Jesus admitted recently that he cannot remember the last time he played without pain, but without any fresh developments at this stage of the season, don’t expect him to spend any time on the sidelines.
Long-term absentee Jurrien Timber remains unavailable.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs Aston Villa (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Jorginho, Odegaard, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Trossard
Aston Villa team news
Midfielder Douglas Luiz, a target for Arsenal in the transfer window, will miss out through suspension, which could force an entire rethink for Emery if John McGinn is pushed into a deeper midfield role to cover.
Boubacar Kamara, Emiliano Buendia, Tyrone Mings, Matty Cash and Jacob Ramsey all remain unavailable for selection.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; McGinn, Tielemans; Diaby, Zaniolo, Bailey; Watkins
Arsenal vs Aston Villa score prediction
Luiz’s absence is an enormous blow for Villa, particularly if the influential John McGinn has to drop deeper and sacrifice his attacking output.
With Villa looking a little disjointed at the best of times in recent weeks, Arsenal should fancy their chances of a comfortable victory to move them one step closer to realising their Premier League title dreams.
Arsenal also head into the game with an extra two days of rest after Villa’s Conference League outings on Thursday, which will only boost their chances of winning.
Prediction: Arsenal 3-1 Aston Villa
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Source : 90min.com