**Arsenal’s** first major clash of their title defence comes at Villa Park, as they prepare to face last season’s Europa League winners Aston Villa.
The two sides endured very different beginnings to the new season: the Champions cruised to a 3-0 win over Coventry City at the Emirates, while Villa’s tough summer translated onto the pitch, as they were beaten 4-0 away at Brighton.
Konsa’s return to familiar surroundings
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> Ezri Konsa could be in line for an Arsenal debut at Villa Park (Photo by Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
One of Aston Villa’s highest-profile exits over the summer was Ezri Konsa, who left the club after seven years to head to North London.
So soon after leaving, Konsa will be back on the Villa Park turf, potentially even lining up for the Gunners from the start.
Arsenal’s £51 million coup was seen as a crucial move in the transfer market, considering William Saliba is expected to be out until autumn.
Both Jurrien Timber and Ben White have also struggled with injuries at right-back. White played the Coventry game on the right-hand side, coming away with an assist; however, he has not been pictured in training on Arsenal’s social channels this week, casting doubts over whether he will be available for Monday’s showdown.
Timber is yet to return from the groin injury that saw him miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
One of the benefits of the Konsa signing is that he is versatile in that he can play at both centre-back and right-back.
Last season, Konsa also had the best ground duel success rate in the Premier League with 73.1%, with duels being a known trait that Mikel Arteta loves.
Improving on chance creation compared to last season’s game
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> Lewis-Skelly played a key role in the win over Coventry (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
When these sides met in early December in the Midlands, it was Emi Buendia’s 95th-minute strike that made the headlines, as Aston Villa secured a 2-1 win.
Something to note, though, was a lack of technical security from Arsenal throughout parts of the game; Piero Hincapié’s heavy touch right at the end of the game was the catalyst for Buendia’s winner.
Particularly in the last 10 minutes, Arsenal struggled to retain the ball, albeit exhaustion from the game and schedule was playing its part.
The champions managed fewer touches in the opposition box (33) compared to the hosts (43), and also had a lower open-play xG (1.99/1.52) and overall xG (2.16/1.92)
It’s a theme which caught Arsenal out on occasions heading into the second half of last season, but seems to have been rectified with in-house and market solutions.
In the 3-0 win over Coventry, Arsenal completed 616 passes, with 335 of them into the opposition’s half. They also managed 20 shots, which was the first time that had happened since a 2-0 win over Everton in March, a run of seven league games.
A big reason for that is the midfield: Myles-Lewis Skelly was a key aspect of the win, managing the joint-most touches with 94, and making seven passes into the final third.
New signing Bruno Guimarães managed 261 line-breaking passes last season, which is an area Arsenal know that can improve on.