Noni Madueke celebrates with his Arsenal teammates (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Former Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere expects manager Mikel Arteta to make a difficult decision today and take Noni Madueke out of his starting line up.
The England international started for the Gunners in their midweek win over Brentford at the Emirates Stadium, but Aliadiere thinks it will probably be Bukayo Saka returning to the first XI for the trip to take on Aston Villa at Villa Park this afternoon.
Madueke performed well against Brentford and has generally started brightly since joining Arsenal from Chelsea in the summer, even if injury problems have slowed him down a bit.
Aliadiere, who played in Arsenal’s famous 2003/04 Invincibles side, thinks there’ll be opportunities for both Saka and Madueke to start games together this season, but feels it will ultimately be Saka who gets the nod today.
Noni Madueke or Bukayo Saka to start for Arsenal against Villa?
Speaking ahead of today’s game against Villa, Aliadiere told the Metro: “That’s a tough one. I personally would start Saka. As much as Madueke has done really well, he’s been out for a while (with a knee injury) so you don’t want to put too much on him straight away.
Noni Madueke in action for Arsenal against Brentford
Noni Madueke in action for Arsenal against Brentford (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
“Arteta has been good this season at rotation and managing the squad. I know there’s been a few injuries so he’d had to as well. I just think putting Saka back in will be the best choice for this game.
“They (Madueke and Saka) are quite similar. They’re both left-footed and like to come in on their left foot from the right-hand side.
“I do feel in certain games, Arteta might go with both of them and go with Madueke on the left. The luxury this season is having great players off the bench or when there’s injuries, one can step in.
“We’ve missed that at Arsenal the last few years. A few years ago, we’d have never seen Saka on the bench being rested. Now, it’s not a shock to see Saka on the bench and Madueke playing because of how well he’s been doing.”
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What to expect from Arsenal’s trip to Aston Villa
Arsenal are unbeaten in 18 games, dating back to their 1-0 defeat away to Liverpool earlier this season, which remains the only time they’ve lost so far in the 2025/26 campaign.
Arteta’s side have been really tough to play against, conceding only seven league goals, and just one in the Champions League.
Still, Villa are also on a really good run at the moment, and recently beat Manchester City 1-0 at Villa Park.
Who will come out on top this time? Give us your score predictions in the comments!