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Premier League leaders Arsenal travel to Villa Park to face Aston Villa, the league’s most in-form side.
The Gunners hold a five-point cushion at the summit of the Premier League, with Manchester City still looking like the side most capable of pushing Mikel Arteta’s men all the way. But it would only be fair to mention their opponents this weekend, Aston Villa, who could close the gap to just three points with a win on Saturday lunchtime.
All three sides prevailed in midweek, each in very different fashion but successful nonetheless. Arsenal remained composed and kept yet another clean sheet as they saw off Brentford 2-0, thanks to goals from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka. In south-west London, Manchester City almost squandered a four-goal lead against Fulham in a remarkable nine-goal thriller that ended 5-4. Meanwhile, Villa travelled to the south coast, coming from two goals down against Brighton to claim a dramatic 4-3 victory – one that lifted them to third place and firmly into the mix.
Arsenal are unbeaten in 18 games across all competitions, with their last defeat coming at Anfield against the surprisingly struggling champions Liverpool back in August. The north London outfit are firm favourites to go on and claim the title – their first in what would be 22 years. However, it is hard to look past recent memories in which the Gunners drew blanks and fell short, finishing runners-up in each of the past three seasons – something that had only happened once before, also by Arsenal.
That said, Mikel Arteta and his staff have assembled a squad that, when fully fit and firing, appears to have few – if any – weaknesses and looks more than capable of cruising to the finish line. But that isn’t the case at the moment. Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba, Arsenal’s imperious centre-back duo, both remain sidelined, with the latter expected to return sooner than his Brazilian partner. Summer signings Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié have been required to step in and form a partnership despite never having played together before, and that could be a concern this weekend – especially with Mosquera withdrawn last time out against Brentford after appearing to be in some real discomfort.
Arsenal could make a real statement with a win at Villa Park – something they’ve managed on three of their last four visits. With a side hampered by injuries but still grinding out results, ticking off tough grounds like this before key players return would make the run-in that little bit easier for a side who are desperate to get over the line.