The second clash of the Premier League is now here. The Gunners travel to the West Midlands to take on Unai Emery and Aston Villa in their first home match of the new season.
Mikel Arteta will be looking to overhaul the poor record he has against both Villa and Emery who beat them twice in the league during the previous campaign. This time round Arteta will be on the touchline after his suspension last season, he will also have some players he did not have access to last time such as Jurrien Timber.
Arsenal know that to win the title, these are the types of results from the previous campaign they need to turn into positive gains in the league table. Especially considering rivals Manchester City host Ipswich Town ahead of the Gunners’ evening kick-off.
Tom Canton
The team selection for this game has gone back and forth in my mind for some time, especially the left-wing position. Tactical reasons and form factors have influenced this indecision but I have landed on Gabriel Martinelli for this game.
One thing that is expected of Villa and something my colleague Kaya Kaynak pointed out in this week’s Arsenal Way podcast was the high line the home side deploys. Leandro Trossard might indeed offer better finishing ability but this game seems more set up for the Brazilian to make those runs in behind too.
At left-back is the only area of major change as Jurrien Timber comes in for Oleksandr Zinchenko. Timber makes it to the second game of a Premier League season for the first time and his presence will be very valuable as he brings greater balance than the Ukrainian – particularly defensively.
