Arsenal is getting ready to face off against Aston Villa this weekend in an early attempt to win the Premier League title.
Thanks to goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka, the Gunners easily defeated Wolves 2-0 to kick off the new campaign. With this momentum, Villa Park presents a more difficult test for them.
The Arsenal team is comparatively well-prepared for this crucial match. After missing the last two preseason games, Dutch defender Jurrien Timber returned to action in the opening game. In the second half against Wolves, he entered as a substitute, demonstrating his fitness for the next game.
Not every player has recovered to full health, though. Takehiro Tomiyasu will likely need several weeks to recover from the knee injury that kept him out of Arsenal’s preseason tour in the United States. In a similar vein, Kieran Tierney’s hamstring injury sustained during Euro 2024 keeps him out of the game. Due to a hip injury, Fabio Vieira might be able to return to the team this coming weekend.
The manager of Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, may decide to start with the same lineup against Aston Villa, but he has other options. If Arteta opts for a tactical change, Leandro Trossard might take Gabriel Martinelli’s place on the left wing. Furthermore, summer signing Riccardo Calafiori, who was benched last Saturday, is healthy and ready to play if necessary.
The team’s regular center-back duo of Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba remains a strong base. The importance of both defenders to the team was recently highlighted when they were named to the PFA Team of the Season, along with Declan Rice, David Raya, and Martin Odegaard.
Raya could start in goal for Arsenal against Aston Villa, while White, Saliba, Gabriel, and Zinchenko make up the defense. Odegaard, Partey, and Rice are anticipated to start in midfield, with Saka, Havertz, and Martinelli likely to spearhead the offense.
