Arsenal vs Aston Villa preview, predictions & team news
Arsenal will look to bounce back from their damaging 2-2 draw with Watford when they host Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
The Gunners pulled off an impressive 3-0 away win at Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League on Thursday night but have now gone three Premier League games without a win after they squandered a lead at Vicarage Road last week.
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Villa, meanwhile, are without a goal in their last two Premier League games but have taken four points from their opening five games so far, putting in enough strong performances to suggest they can avoid the drop this term.
Victory for the Gunners could be enough for them to reclaim a place in the top four, depending on results elsewhere.
Read on for Arsenal vs Aston Villa predictions, preview, team news and TV coverage information.
When is Arsenal vs Aston Villa and where can I watch live?
Competition: Premier League
Venue: Emirates Stadium
Date: Sunday, 22 September 2019
Kick-off: 4:30 PM BST
TV coverage (UK): N/A
Last five meetings: Arsenal vs Aston Villa
15 May 2016: Arsenal 4-0 Aston Villa (Premier League)
13 Dec 2015: Aston Villa 0-2 Arsenal (Premier League)
30 May 2015: Arsenal 4-0 Aston Villa (FA Cup)
01 Feb 2015: Arsenal 5-0 Aston Villa (Premier League)
20 Sep 2014: Aston Villa 0-3 Arsenal (Premier League)
Aggregate Score: Arsenal (WWWWW) 18-0 Aston Villa (LLLLL)
Ones to watch
Arsenal: Nicolas Pepe
With Alexandre Lacazette out until October, more pressure has been piled on to Nicolas Pepe to deliver the goods up top for the Gunners.
The Ivorian has had an extremely effective start, adding some much-needed pace and trickery to Unai Emery’s forward line. Now, Arsenal need the goals to start flowing.
Key stat: Pepe has completed more dribbles (19) than any other Premier League player so far this season.
Aston Villa: Wesley Moraes
Only Crystal Palace (3) have scored fewer goals in the Premier League this season than Aston Villa (4) and if Dean Smith’s side are to find safety by the end of the season, that will need to be rectified.
A large part of Wesley’s arrival in the summer was fuelled by his ability to link play and bring others into the game but as Villa’s main centre-forward, he must start finding the net more.
Key stat: Wesley is Aston Villa’s joint-highest Premier League goalscorer so far this season, despite netting just once.
Team news
Arsenal
Rob Holding is in contention to start, although it may still be a little early for the centre-back to be thrust straight back into the action.
Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin are stepping up their recovery and are now taking part in full training sessions but it’s unlikely Emery will risk either on Sunday. Bukayo Saka will be hopeful his goal in Germany will propel him into contention.
Predicted XI: Leno; Maitland-Niles, Sokratis, Luiz, Kolasinac; Xhaka, Guendouzi; Pepe, Ozil, Ceballos; Aubameyang.
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Aston Villa
Egyptian winger Trezeguet is available again after serving a suspension while Matt Targett is close to a return from his hamstring injury, although he’s highly unlikely to start.
Predicted XI: Heaton; Guobert, Engels, Mings, Taylor; Grealish, Luiz, McGinn; Jota, Wesley, Trezeguet.
Squawka prediction
Scoreline prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Aston Villa
