Arsenal aim to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool this Saturday when they face Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners will need the services of Brentford earlier in the day if they are to get close to Liverpool in the table, provided they can avoid a slip-up against the Villans, of course. Arsenal have painful memories of this match last season as Unai Emery’s Villa dealt them a fatal blow in the title race.
Arsenal can build on their confidence A win in the North London derby on Wednesday against Tottenham Hotspur, even if they were far from their best as they secured the bragging rights. Injuries continue to make Mikel Arteta’s life a bigger challenge and he will have to work hard in the selection of the team for the arrival of seventh-placed Villa.
Here’s how Arsenal they might show up this weekend.
GK: David Raya – The Spaniard was not overly busy in the north London derby, but produced an impressive defensive reflex to deny Dejan Kulusevski. He could be called into action more often on Saturday.
RB: Jurrien Timber – Timber is Arsenal’s only senior right-back option and has been forced to play a lot of football over the past month. However, he has shown amazing results despite a significant workload.
CB: William Saliba – The Real Madrid’s goal will be tasked with containing Ollie Watkins on Saturday, who now has two goals and two assists in his last four away games. Jhon Duran will prove a similar handful off the bench.
CB: Gabriel – Gabriel had a monumental performance against Tottenham and Arsenal need their Brazilian superstar more than ever given their attacking struggles in recent weeks.
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly – Lewis-Skelly has gained invaluable experience this term and produced a stellar performance against Tottenham. After performing expertly against Spurs’ tricky first line, he will be tested by Morgan Rogers and Leon Bailey this weekend.
CM: Martin Odegaard – Odegaard was much improved on Wednesday to help Arsenal to victory, the graceful Norwegian scoring a characteristically inventive and measured display in midfield.
CM: Thomas Partey – They will need to offer Arsenal’s backline significant support against Villa, who are so often lethal on the counter-attack. Mikel Merino is sniffing around his starting spot.
CM: Declan Rice – Rice hasn’t been able to replicate his excellent debut season performances for much of the campaign, but made a confident switch against Spurs. Villa’s engine room is full of impressive options, including one-time Arsenal target Amadou Onan, and Rice will need to dominate the midfield battle.
RW: Leandro Trossard – He scored the winner against Spurs on Wednesday with a ferocious shot, although it should have been deflected by Antonin Kinsky. A confidence-boosting performance for the Belgian, who must step up in attack injuries.
ST: Kai Havertz – Havertz has come under fire in recent weeks for his profligacy and can have few complaints after some dire misses. However, he is guaranteed a starting place with Gabriel Jesus on the flank and always works relentlessly off the ball.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli – A surprise omission from Wednesday’s squad, but Raheem Sterling’s disappointing performance in the derby will only ensure Martinelli’s return. Should give Matty Cash a rough afternoon.
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