Aston Villa vs Arsenal preview
Premier League leaders Arsenal have a tough task ahead from kick-off on Saturday when they take on in-form Aston Villa.
The Gunners go into the weekend five points ahead of Manchester City, but Villa are third having won their last four league matches.
Villa boss Unai Emery makes his former club favorites to win the title this season.
He told BBC WM: “They are the clear favorites to win the league. We are just fighting to compete as well as possible, which is very difficult.
“At the start of the season we aimed to occupy the European positions. Our poor start gave us frustration. We did not perform well and did not score points.
“We played at home against Wolves and it was very difficult to beat them. We didn’t feel favorites against Wolves, Brighton or Arsenal. Maybe it can be seen differently from the outside but, for us, the Premier League is very difficult. We have to be humble to avoid our weaknesses and also [use] our power.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal team news
Villa are awaiting the fitness of goalkeeper Emi Martinez who missed the midweek win over Brighton with a back injury. Marco Bizot is on standby to start again if necessary.
Midfielder Ross Barkley and defender Tyrone Mings are out until 2026 due to injury.
Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus returned as an unused substitute against Brentford after 11 months out with a knee injury, but centre-back Gabriel remains out with a thigh problem picked up while playing for Brazil in a friendly against Senegal at the Emirates Stadium.
Predicted line-ups for Aston Villa vs Arsenal
Aston Villa from eleven: Bizot; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Buendia, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins
Arsenal starting lineup: Raya; White, Wood, Hincapie, CaliFori; Odegarard, Zubimendi, Merinos; Saka, Gyokeres, Èze
How to watch Villa v Arsenal: TV channel, live streams online
Kick-off on Saturday will be at 12:30 GMT (07:30 ET / 04:30 PT), with live TV coverage in the UK on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate.
TNT Sports costs £29.99 per month via Discovery+, which includes Eurosport and entertainment and is available on a huge range of devices including smart TVs and games consoles.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal Stats
- Aided by a 70% win rate in the Europa League, Emery won 55% of matches during his tenure at Arsenal, which began in May 2018 and ended in November 2019 after a seven-match winless run.
- Villa have not conceded a home league goal in over four hours and 42 minutes of football, most recently in their 2-1 win over Burnley on October 5.
- They have won eight consecutive home games in all competitions since their 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on August 31.
- Only Arsenal (19) and Manchester City (18) have beaten Villa’s tally of 16 points at home in the league in 2025/26, while the Gunners (2) are the only team to have conceded fewer than the Villans (5) at their own stadium.
- Among players who have scored at least four goals in the division this season, only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (1.11), Brentford’s Igor Thiago (0.87) and Bournemouth’s Junior Kroupi (0.88) have averaged more goals per 90 minutes than Villa’s Donyell Malen (0.77).
- Arsenal have conceded four fewer goals (7) than any other team in the Premier League this season
- Their expected goals allowed total of 7.2 is the best in the division and 7.9 ahead of their next closest rival in this regard, Manchester City.
- They have won 11 and lost one of their last 21 away league matches.
- Arteta’s side have won 16 of the 17 games in all competitions they have led in this season, as well as all 15 when they scored in the opener.
- Only Chelsea and Liverpool have attempted (3,274) and completed (2,916) more passes between 15 and 30 meters in the Premier League this season.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal Prediction
Villa Aston
2
–
2
Arsenal
Both teams are in good form and, with the Gunners missing key defenders, they will expect Villa to score a few goals in an entertaining draw.
Bet here
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