
Aston Villa host Arsenal at Villa Park on Monday, August 31 (3:00 PM ET / 2:00 PM CT / 12:00 PM PT).
Aston Villa’s team news is dominated by absentees. OUT are Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey, Amadou Onana (knee), Johan Manzambi (knee) and Brian Madjo (ankle/foot), while suspended Joao Gomes and doubtful Tammy Abraham (groin/hip) add to the squad problems. With so much of the forward line missing, Ross Barkley and Emiliano Buendía are the players Villa will lean on to create chances, alongside Boubacar Kamara and Matthew Cash anchoring midfield. Arsenal have their own absentees: OUT are William Saliba (lower back) and Jurrien Timber (groin/hip), with doubtful Bruno Guimaraes (groin/hip) also a concern, though Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz lead an attack in form after the win over Coventry City.
US viewers can watch Aston Villa vs Arsenal on NBC and Peacock.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal: Best Bets & Predictions
Signal sees a tight night at Villa Park, with Arsenal's defense doing the damage.
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Season Form & Standings
Aston Villa sit on 0 points from their opening game, a -4 goal difference already exposing defensive problems, while Arsenal have made a perfect start with 3 points and a +3 goal difference from 1 game played.
Premier League
| Team | Pos | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | +3 | 3 | |||
| Aston Villa | 20 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -4 |
Aston Villa vs Arsenal Predicted Lineups
Predicted XI — updated for the latest team news.
Aston Villa
4-2-3-1Arsenal
4-2-3-1Potential Match-Winners
- Ross Barkley (Aston Villa): Barkley created 2 chances and had 1 shot in his most recent Villa outing, playing 74 minutes as the side’s creative outlet in midfield.
- Bukayo Saka (Arsenal): Saka scored and created 2 chances in the 3-0 win over Coventry City, needing just 68 minutes and 3 shots to make his mark.
- Kai Havertz (Arsenal): Havertz also got on the scoresheet that day, needing just 1 shot on target across the full 90 minutes to do it.
Recent Form
Aston Villa: L L D W L
- 2026-08-23: Brighton 4-0 Aston Villa (L, away)
- 2026-05-15: Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool (W, home)
- 2026-05-10: Burnley 2-2 Aston Villa (D, away)
- 2026-05-03: Aston Villa 1-2 Tottenham (L, home)
- 2026-04-25: Fulham 1-0 Aston Villa (L, away)
Villa’s most recent form reads L L D W L, the away defeat at Brighton the freshest entry.
Arsenal: W W W W W
- 2026-08-21: Arsenal 3-0 Coventry City (W, home)
- 2026-05-18: Arsenal 1-0 Burnley (W, home)
- 2026-05-10: West Ham 0-1 Arsenal (W, away)
- 2026-05-02: Arsenal 3-0 Fulham (W, home)
- 2026-04-25: Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle (W, home)
Arsenal’s form reads a perfect W W W W W, capped by the 3-0 win over Coventry City to open the season.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal Prediction
Signal has this finishing 0-1 to Arsenal. Villa’s threadbare squad and 4-0 opening-day defeat at Brighton make it hard to fancy them going toe-to-toe with an Arsenal side already on 3 points and a +3 goal difference, and with both defenses miserly so far, a tight, low-scoring away win at Villa Park is the read here.



