Arsenal have sent an ominous warning to the Premier League after breezing past Man City and Coventry.
Aston Villa are reeling after a heavy defeat in Brighton and with issues up front, the Gunners are deserved favourites here.
Key Stats
- Aston Villa lost 4 of their last 9 home matches (Premier League).
- Arsenal have won 13 of their last 20 matches against Aston Villa.
- Arsenal have won to nil in 5 of their last 6 Premier League matches.
HTH
Arsenal have an 89-72 record Aston Villa alongside 46 draws. The Gunners have won three of the previous five clashes at Villa Park.
Villa Thrashed in Brighton
Aston Villa started the season with a credible 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup. Teenage striker Brian Madjo equalised before the break but they failed to capitalise on 2.49-1.58 xG.
Few anticipated what would happen in their Premier League opener at Brighton. Down 4-0 in the 31st minute, the only positive was that they didn’t concede again after João Gomes’ 40th minute red card.
Unai Emery focused on the second half performance: "The second half, I think the players responded fantastic. We tried to get a new plan in the dressing room, playing the second half like we did without one player."
"And as well, trying to be always not losing our mind, being as well focused in our gameplan and trying to avoid conceding more goals or chances like we did."
Gunners on Fire
Arsenal gained plenty of confidence in the Community Shield, hammering Manchester City 3-0 in Cardiff. Christos Tzolis assisted Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard in his competitive debut.
Mikel Arteta’s side made light work Coventry to get their Premier League title defence underway. Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Odegaard were on target in a one sided clash at Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners enjoyed 64% possession, 20-4 shots and 1.88-0.20 xG in London, continuing on from last season when they hardly gave opponents a chance.
Arteta was pleased with the victory: “There was a lot to like. Obviously it was a great result, but the manner we started the game, the domination, clarity, understanding and growth in the game was really impressive. It was great because the start is always tricky.”
Predicted Lineups & Team News
Aston Villa (4-3-3): Zion Suzuki; Matty Cash, Pau Torres, Victor Lindelöf, Ian Maatsen; Lamare Bogarde, Boubacar Kamara; John McGinn, Emiliano Buendía, Alejandro Garnacho; Tammy Abraham
Amadou Onana, Johan Manzambi and Brian Madjo are out injured. João Gomes is suspended which should see Lamare Bogarde start in midfield.
Leon Goretzka is the latest signing to move to Birmingham, the midfielder following Zion Suzuki, Matteo Ruggeri, João Gomes, Johan Manzambi and Alejandro Garnacho to Villa Park.
Unai Emery commented on the omission of Ollie Watkins who is set for a move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal: "This question is for him. You can call him and try to get his answer. The players here wanted to play and we had two strikers with a small injury."
Villa are still trying to rebuild after selling Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers for a combined €238m. Nicolas Jackson is set to replace Watkins before the transfer window closes.
Arsenal (4-3-3): David Raya; Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Gabriel Magalhães, Riccardo Calafiori; Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly; Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Christos Tzolis; Kai Havertz
Defenders William Saliba and Jurriën Timber are out alongside midfielder Bruno Guimarães.
Arteta commented on new signing Ezri Konsa: "When I look at squads, some clubs still have incredible and much bigger squads than us."
"We just look to improve and do what’s right for us, and look at players we already have who can improve us. Ezri is certainly a player we really liked in the defensive line."