Arsenal vs Aston Villa preview: How to watch on TV, live stream, team news & prediction

A jubilant and over-celebrating Arsenal are back in action on Wednesday night as they host Steven Gerrard’s struggling Aston Villa in their fifth Premier League encounter of the 2022/23 season.

The Gunners were made to work for their fourth consecutive victory against Fulham on Saturday as Aleksandar Mitrovic handed the visitors the lead in the second half. Mikel Arteta’s side responded superbly, however, with Martin Odegaard and Gabriel overturning the hosts’ deficit.

The feeling surrounding the club is nothing short of buoyant at the moment, and I’m sure every single supporter is counting down the seconds until Wednesday night’s clash.

Aston Villa are in trouble, folks. Their off-the-field ambition is not being matched by their work on the pitch as they’ve won just three of their last 15 Premier League outings. Gerrard’s side were beaten yet again at the weekend and their next two outings are ominous for the under-pressure Villa boss.

Arsenal vs Aston Villa preview: How to watch on TV, live stream, team news & prediction

Here’s our preview of the Gunners’ Premier League clash with Aston Villa on Wednesday night.

How to watch Arsenal vs Aston Villa

When is kick-off? Wednesday 31 August

What time is kick-off? 19:30 (BST)

Where is it played? Emirates Stadium

TV channel/live stream? BT Sport 4 (UK), fuboTV (Canada), Peacock (US)

Referee? Robert Jones

Arsenal Team News

Thomas Partey and Oleksandr Zinchenko both missed Saturday’s win over Fulham with injuries, but neither is expected to miss a sustained period of time. However, it’d be a surprise to see either start on Wednesday considering that a trip to Old Trafford beckons on Sunday.

There shouldn’t be any other injury concerns for the Gunners with Reiss Nelson sidelined for a couple of months.

Mohamed Elneny and Kieran Tierney should retain their places in the starting XI, while Eddie Nketiah will be pushing for a start after he impressed off the bench on Saturday.

Aston Villa Team News

Steven Gerrard doesn’t have too many concerns on the injury front heading into Wednesday’s game.

Summer arrival Diego Carlos successfully underwent surgery earlier this month after rupturing his Achilles tendon and he’s expected to miss much of the season as a result. Fellow centre-back Tyrone Mings is a doubt for this one due to illness.

Emi Buendia will be pushing to start ahead of the disappointing Philippe Coutinho, as will Leon Bailey.

Arsenal vs Aston Villa Predicted Lineups

Arsenal: Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney; Elneny, Xhaka; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Jesus.

Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Chambers, Digne; Luiz, Kamara, McGinn; Bailey, Ings, Watkins.

Arsenal’s Recent Form

Arsenal 2-1 Fulham (27/08) – Premier League

Bournemouth 0-3 Arsenal (20/08) – Premier League

Arsenal 4-2 Leicester (13/08) – Premier League

Crystal Palace 0-2 Arsenal (05/08) – Premier League

Arsenal 6-0 Sevilla (30/07) – Emirates Cup

Aston Villa’s Recent Form

Aston Villa 0-1 West Ham (28/08) – Premier League

Bolton 1-4 Aston Villa (23/08) – EFL Cup

Crystal Palace 3-1 Aston Villa (20/08) – Premier League

Aston Villa 2-1 Everton (13/08) – Premier League

Bournemouth 2-0 Aston Villa (06/08) – Premier League

Prediction

Arsenal won in a manner they rarely did last season as Mikel Arteta’s in-game management turned the tide on Saturday evening. The Spaniard is continuing to add strings to his bow and his side will be confident of taking another scalp in the week.

The boss may be forced to rotate ahead of Sunday’s clash with Manchester United, but the hosts should have enough for a talented Villa side that just can’t seem to put it together.

The Villans are an inefficient pressing side that attempt to build play patiently back to front. Thus, the Gunners should be able to control this contest from minute one if they’re aggressive throughout, and this will likely result in a pretty comfortable victory.

Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Aston Villa