Aston Villa vs Arsenal: Preview, Prediction & Lineups
Arsenal hit the road for the first time this season as they travel to Aston Villa on Monday evening.
The Gunners defeated newly promoted Coventry City 3-0 in last week's Premier League opener to get their title defence off to the perfect start. Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka struck in the first-half before Martin Ødegaard sealed the win after the break.
Villa's new campaign couldn't have gotten off to a worse start as they were thrashed 4-0 by Brighton in their first game. The Seagulls netted four times inside the opening 31 minutes to put the Villains to the sword with Maxim De Cuyper's strike and a Jack Hinshelwood brace adding to Victor Lindelöf's own goal.
Games between these two sides always tend to be entertaining and as Mikel Arteta's side will be eager to make it two wins from two while Villa look to bounce back from their dreadful opener, this clash will certainly be an exciting matchup.
Here's our preview of Arsenal's trip to face Aston Villa.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal kicks off on Monday 31 August at 20:00 BST.
Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League
Villa could field new signings Nicolas Jackson and Leon Goretzka, who have been registered in time for Monday night's game after completing their respective moves to the West Midlands side earlier this week.
João Gomes won't be available as he serves the first match of a three-game suspension for violent conduct while Amadou Onana will also be absent due to a long-term knee injury.
Johan Manzambi and Brian Madjo are not expected to return to action after no updates were provided on their availability.
Predicted Aston Villa lineup vs Arsenal: Suzuki; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Ruggeri; Bogarde, Kamara; Buendia, Barkley, McGinn; Jackson
Ezri Konsa will be eyeing up the chance to make his Arsenal debut against his former side, but Cristhian Mosquera's performance against Coventry should be enough for him to keep his starting place in the backline, meaning the new signing's maiden appearance will likely come off the bench.
Bruno Guimarães could be set for a return to the matchday squad after missing the opener with a groin issue, but Jurrien Timber and William Saliba will be absent as they continue to battle their respective fitness problems.
Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Fábio Vieira won't be involved as they all edge towards moves away from the club. The two Brazilians are heading to Al Hilal and Barcelona respectively while the Portuguese is set to join Hamburg.
Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Aston Villa: Raya; White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Ødegaard, Lewis-Skelly, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Tzolis
Villa Park hasn't exactly been an easy place for Arsenal to go in recent years, having won just three times in seven visits since Villa returned to the Premier League in 2019.
However, this trip offers one of their best opportunities to take three points back to North London as the hosts continue their rebuild following a summer transfer window that saw their squad gutted of several key players, made even worse by a demolition defeat on the opening weekend.
The Gunners will certainly be faced with a tough test from Villa as always, but they should get over the line and secure the win to make it two wins from two games at the start of the season.
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