🕟 Kick Off: 20:00 BST

🏟️ Venue: Villa Park

📺 UK Broadcaster: Sky Sports

🙎🏻‍♂️ Referee: Jarred Gillet

📹 VAR: James Bell

🔴 Arsenal Team News:

• Jurriën Timber (Fitness): Unlikely to feature. Making good progress following minor surgery in the summer and is back in training.
• William Saliba: Long term injury. Saliba is taking an extended break from football to heal his back without the need for surgery.

⚽ Arsenal Form: 🟩

🦁 Aston Villa Team News:

• Amadou Onana (Knee): Ruled Out. Recovering from ACL reconstruction surgery.
• João Gomes da Silva (Suspension): Ruled Out. Serving a three-match suspension following a straight red card against Brighton on Matchday 1.
• Johan Manzambi (Knee): Ruled Out. Currently working individually on the grass and expected to need more time before rejoining the matchday squad.
• Brian Madjo (Ankle/Foot): Ruled Out. Sidelined with a minor foot/ankle issue, aiming to integrate back into full team sessions within the next couple of weeks.
• Tammy Abraham (Groin/Hip): Major Doubt. Nursing a minor groin/hip strain and undergoing late assessment.

⚽ Aston Villa Form: 🟥

⚔️ Head-to-Head:

• Arsenal 4–1 Aston Villa (Dec 30, 2025, Premier League)
• Aston Villa 2–1 Arsenal (Dec 6, 2025, Premier League)
• Arsenal 2–2 Aston Villa (Jan 18, 2025, Premier League)
• Aston Villa 0–2 Arsenal (Aug 24, 2024, Premier League)
• Arsenal 0–2 Aston Villa (Apr 14, 2024, Premier League)

📖 Match Facts:

• Unai Emery currently has an xHSPG (expected handshakes per game) of 0.00 following a nightmare start for Villa last week where they lost 4-0 at the Amex.
• Arteta and Emery have an even record when it comes to facing eachother, with both managers having 3 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses.
• Last week’s 4-0 loss was Emerys third time losing a game by a four goal margin at Aston Villa, having previously lost against Spurs 4-0 (embarrassing) and Newcastle 5-1.
• Arsenal haven’t lost their second Premier League game since the 2-0 loss against Chelsea in 2021.

📸 Previously in this fixture…

Last season was a tale of two games when it comes to facing Aston Villa. At Villa Park we lost 2-1, but returned the favour with a 4-1 thrashing at the Emirates with goals from Gabriel, Zubimendi, Trossard, and Jesus. Unai Emery threw one of his strops and walked straight down the tunnel without shaking Arteta’s hand.

✍🏼 Pre-Match Ramblings

Arsenal face the Unai Emery derby early this season, with the Spanish Dracula looking to get over an embarrassing drubbing at Brighton to start their season last week.

For whatever reason, Unai Emery has seemingly made his games against Arsenal feel so much bigger than they need to be. In seasons gone by we’ve seen the ex-Arsenal boss rest players for visits to Manchester City whilst going all out against Arsenal. I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but it is clear that games against Arsenal have a personal meaning for Emery, almost like he is trying to prove a point to his former employer.

The timing of this match is not ideal for Aston Villa. Their squad has been gutted over the summer, with their best defender in Konsa joining the Arsenal, Tielemans going to United, Watkins leaving to go to Saudi, Rogers going to Chelsea. Squad turnover with that amount of volume is never easy to deal with, and whilst Villa have made additions to their squad in names such as Garnacho, Jackson, and Manzambi, it will certainly feel like a bit of a reset for them. Emery had Villa playing some good football last season, and it got them into the UCL, but they have taken some steps back in terms of personnel this season.

Comparatively, Arsenal look to be the most stable club in the league at the moment. Minimal turnover in the core squad sees a largely unchanged team going for a second consecutive title. Fantastic signings in Konsa and Bruno G raise the floor of the team and plug holes in depth, but the same attacking issues remain when you look at the second string attackers and the options on the left.

Konsa will be gearing up to make his debut against his old club, which will be a fun litmus test for the new centre half. The stats say he’s the best we could’ve got in terms of replacing the skillset of Saliba, and at 28 years old he will be dying to win the big trophies at Arsenal.