Happy hunting ground: Arsenal have enjoyed many wins at Villa Park down the years
Arsenal face another key fixture as an action-packed weekend in the Premier League begins with a bumper lunchtime kick-off. The Gunners head to Villa Park hoping to increase their five-point lead in the title race, having bounced back from a frustrating draw with 10-man Chelsea by easing past Brentford in midweek. Mikel Arteta will hope to have the likes of Declan Rice, William Saliba and Leandro Trossard available, though Cristhian Mosquera looks set for a spell out to add to their defensive injury woes.
Ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Emi Martinez is battling to be fit for Villa, who begin the day in third place after a dramatic 4-3 triumph over Brighton continued their recent run of rich form that has seen them win six games in a row across all competitions. A statement victory for the hosts this afternoon would see them rise into second place and just three points off top spot, with Manchester City hosting Sunderland later on Saturday.
Unai Emery would surely love nothing more than to get revenge on the club that sacked him back in 2019, paving the way for Arteta’s north London revolution. Follow Aston Villa vs Arsenal live below!
Aston Villa team news: Late call on Emi Martinez
Emi Martinez has been in a race against time to be fit to face former club Arsenal this afternoon.
The Aston Villa goalkeeper was picked to start as usual against Brighton in midweek, but was forced to withdraw just minutes before kick-off with a back injury that prevented him from completing a proper warm-up as deputy Marco Bizot stepped in.
Martinez was not spotted at Villa training at Bodymoor Heath on Friday afternoon and manager Unai Emery earlier admitted that he would not know until the “last moment” if the Argentine would be available.
The hosts are definitely without Ross Barkley, who could miss up to 12 weeks with a knee injury suffered in the 1-0 win over rivals Wolves last weekend.
Former England defender Tyrone Mings is not expected back from his hamstring issue until January, meanwhile.
TV channel: Today’s game will be broadcast live in the UK on TNT Sports. Coverage starts at 11.30am GMT on TNT Sports 1.
Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Discovery+ app and website.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal live
Good morning and welcome to Standard Sport’s live coverage of Aston Villa vs Arsenal.
It’s a delicious lunchtime showdown between two in-form teams to kick off another busy weekend of Premier League action, with third playing host to first in a high-stakes contest.
A win for Arsenal would see them go eight points clear at the summit ahead of Manchester City’s meeting with Sunderland later, while revenge for Unai Emery over his former employers would see them jump to second and cut the gap to today’s opponents to only three points.
Kick-off this afternoon is at 12:30pm GMT, so stay tuned for match build-up, all the latest breaking team news, lineups and live game updates, including expert analysis from Standard Sport’s Arsenal correspondent Simon Collings at Villa Park.