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Who: Arsenal vs Aston Villa
What: English Premier League
Where: Emirates Stadium, London, UK
When: Tuesday astatine 8:15pm (20:15 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll person each the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT successful beforehand of our unrecorded substance commentary stream.
Despite failing to triumph immoderate of their opening six matches of the season, Aston Villa’s scintillating caller signifier has made them genuine rubric contenders arsenic they sojourn league leaders Arsenal.
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Eight Premier League wins successful a enactment – and 11 successful each competitions, their longest streak of victories since 1914 – person taken Unai Emery’s men to wrong 3 points of the Gunners astatine the apical of the table.
Emery volition besides beryllium anxious to triumph astatine his aged leader Arsenal, wherever helium was sacked successful 2019, conscionable implicit a twelvemonth aft succeeding Arsene Wenger arsenic manager.
Arsenal were the aboriginal league pacesetters this season, and astatine 1 signifier had a six-point pb astatine the summit, but they person looked little convincing successful caller weeks and mislaid 2-1 to Villa successful Birmingham earlier successful December aft conceding a last-gasp goal.
The Gunners were briefly deposed astatine the apical of the league by Manchester City astatine the weekend, but regained apical spot with a battling 2-1 location triumph implicit Brighton, portion Villa came from down to grounds an awesome 2-1 triumph distant astatine Chelsea.
‘We are competing precise well’
Emery returns to the country of 1 of his fewer managerial failures connected Tuesday, aiming to onshore a immense stroke to erstwhile nine Arsenal’s ambitions of a archetypal Premier League rubric for 22 years.
The Spaniard has awoken a sleeping elephantine successful Villa, transforming the nine from battling relegation to contending for their archetypal league rubric since 1981.
“We are competing precise well. We are 3rd successful the league down Arsenal and Manchester City. Wow,” said Emery aft helium masterminded a second-half turnaround astatine Stamford Bridge connected Saturday.
Villa were being outclassed by the Blues and trailed 1-0 until a triple substitution connected the hr people changed the game.
Ollie Watkins came disconnected the seat to people doubly and hailed his manager’s alteration of strategy arsenic “tactical genius” afterwards.
Watkins rises to caput successful Villa’s victor against Chelsea astatine Stamford Bridge connected December 27, 2025 [Glyn Kirk/AFP]Emery enjoys beardown grounds against Arsenal
Few judge Villa volition inactive beryllium capable to past the people against the acold greater riches and squad extent of Arsenal and City implicit the people of 20 much games. But a rubric situation is conscionable the adjacent measurement connected an upward trajectory since Emery took complaint 3 years ago.
After a 13-year lack from Europe, including a three-year spell successful the second-tier championship, the Villains person qualified for continental contention for the past 3 seasons.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were connected the ropes astatine Villa Park successful April but escaped to triumph a thrilling Champions League quarterfinal 5-4 connected aggregate earlier going connected to triumph the contention for the archetypal time.
Meanwhile, Emery has mislaid conscionable doubly successful 10 meetings against Arsenal during spells astatine PSG, Villarreal and Villa, including a 2-0 triumph astatine the Emirates successful April 2024 that yet outgo Mikel Arteta’s men the title.
Even Emery’s ill-fated 18 months successful northbound London were acold from disastrous. The 54-year-old inherited a nine successful diminution during Wenger’s last years but lone narrowly missed retired connected Champions League qualification successful his sole afloat play successful complaint and reached the Europa League final.
Emery gets animated connected the touchline [File: Paul Childs/Action Images via Reuters]‘Everyone acceptable to bash immoderate it takes’
Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard believes Declan Rice’s “unbelievable” show arsenic an exigency right-back against Brighton shows the Gunners are “ready to bash immoderate it takes” to triumph the Premier League.
The lack of Jurrien Timber and Ben White saw Rice – 1 of the standout midfielders successful the league truthful acold this word – capable successful astatine full-back, and helium could beryllium required to play determination again connected Tuesday.
“To play right-back, astir apt [for] the archetypal clip successful his life, and past bash it the mode helium did it contiguous was unbelievable, truthful a really, truly bully show from him,” Odegaard said of Rice.
“And that’s conscionable our team. Everyone is acceptable to bash immoderate it takes, and [Rice’s performance] was different bully illustration of that.”
Rice celebrates aft Arsenal people their 2nd extremity against Brighton [File: AFP]Gunners handling injuries successful ‘incredible way’
When Odegaard drilled successful a 14th-minute opener for Arsenal against Brighton, and Georginio Rutter’s ain extremity from a Rice country made it 2-0 soon aft the break, it should person been a regular 3 points for the hosts.
But Diego Gomez’s reply for Brighton changed the complexion of the contest, and determination was alleviation astatine the last whistle arsenic Arsenal cleared different obstacle successful the rubric chase.
“The knock-on effect of winning is incredibly powerful,” Arteta said of a triumph that should person been easier.
“It should ne'er beryllium 2-1, but that’s the Premier League.
“What I similar is that we person a batch of issues, we’re dealing with it successful an unthinkable way; yesterday we mislaid Jurrien [Timber], contiguous we mislaid [Riccardo] Calafiori successful the warm-up. Declan [Rice] has to play arsenic a full-back, and you spot the show that he enactment in, truthful that’s the tone and that’s however overmuch our players privation it.”
Head-to-head
The 2 clubs archetypal locked horns 120 years agone and person present played 206 times, with the Gunners winning 88 of those games, Aston Villa winning 72, and 46 ending arsenic draws.
Arsenal person mislaid 3 of their past 5 games against Villa, picking up conscionable 4 points successful the process, and past recorded a triumph implicit Villa successful August 2024 – a 2-0 distant victory.
While the Gunners person won 9 of their past 10 Premier League location games, Villa caput to London having taken 4 points from their past 2 trips to the Emirates – a 2-0 triumph successful April 2024 and a 2-2 gully successful January.
Arsenal’s squad news
Arteta volition anticipation that Timber tin walk a precocious fittingness test. If helium is disposable again, Rice would determination backmost into his midfield role.
Calafiori remains a large uncertainty aft withdrawing from the warm-up against Brighton and being replaced astatine left-back by Myles Lewis-Skelly.
However, successful what would beryllium a large boost for the Gunners, cardinal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes has recovered from an adductor wounded and could commencement for the archetypal clip since November.
Predicted lineup:
Raya (goalkeeper); Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Gyokeres, Eze
Aston Villa’s squad news
Right-back Matty Cash and antiaircraft midfielder Boubacar Kamara are suspended aft accumulating bookings, with Amadou Onana and Lamare Bogarde acceptable to travel successful arsenic replacements.
Defenders Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres and midfielder Ross Barkley stay ruled retired with injuries, portion Ivory Coast guardant Evann Guessand is playing astatine the Africa Cup of Nations.
After coming disconnected the seat to people a brace against Chelsea, Watkins is acceptable to commencement up beforehand successful spot of Donyell Malen.
Predicted lineup:
Martinez (goalkeeper); Bogarde, Konsa, Lindelof, Maatsen; Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Buendia, Rogers; Watkins
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