Aston Villa vs Arsenal: Preview, Prediction, Lineup & How to watch on TV

Arsenal's first away game of the season is a big one as they travel to Aston Villa on Saturday evening.

The Gunners made no mistake on Matchday 1 as they cruised to a 2-0 victory over Wolves in north London. Mikel Arteta's side certainly didn't set the world alight, but three points were imperative. Given their upcoming assignment, Arteta will know that his team will have to quickly improve.

Arsenal were beaten twice by Unai Emery's Villans in 2023/24 which ultimately cost them the Premier League title. An early John McGinn goal sunk the Gunners in the corresponding fixture last December.

While this fixture arrives very early on in the 2024/25 campaign, there's no denying its significance. Neither side are going to be at their apex, but with Manchester City refusing to relent, Arsenal can ill-afford to drop too many early points.

So, without further ado, join us for our Aston Villa vs Arsenal preview, which features key information such as team news, predicted lineups, guidance on how to watch Aston Villa vs Arsenal on TV and a guaranteed-to-be-accurare score prediction.

Aston Villa vs Arsenal: Preview, Prediction, Lineup & How to watch on TV

What time does Aston Villa vs Arsenal Kick-Off?

• When is kick-off? Saturday 24 August, 2024
• What time is kick-off? 17:30 (BST)
• Where is it played? Villa Park, Birmingham

Aston Villa vs Arsenal Head-to-Head Record

Villa may have cost Arsenal the Premier League title last season with their two victories over the Gunners, but Mikel Arteta's side had won the previous four meetings between the two clubs. Arteta has a troublesome record against Emery, but he did win the first Premier League duel between the pair - a dramatic 4-2 win at Villa Park in February 2023.

Is Aston Villa vs Arsenal on TV?

This big match-up has unsurprisingly been selected for TV coverage in the UK. Arsenal's bout at Villa Park will be shown on Sky Sports' Main Event and Premier League channels. For those on the move or unable to watch on TV, you can catch all the action on Sky GO. NBC are broadcasting Saturday's game in the USA, while fuboTV is your go-to avenue in Canada.

Aston Villa Team News

Matty Cash is a doubt after picking up a knock late on in east London last time out, but the right-back is expected to be fit to start on Saturday. Ezri Konsa could be deployed down the right if Cash does miss out.

Boubacar Traore and Tyrone Mings are still recovering from long-term injuries.

Emery could be tempted to start Jhon Duran alongside Ollie Watkins up top against the Gunners after the South American continued his excellent Premier League minutes-per-goal last weekend.

Predicted Aston Villa lineup vs Arsenal: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Bailey, Tielemans, Onana, McGinn; Watkins, Duran.

Arsenal Team News

Arteta could make a change to his lineup on Saturday, with Kai Havertz dropping into the middle of the park as he did in this fixture at the Emirates last season. The Spaniard will want to deploy as many runners in the side as he can given Villa's tendency to utilise an aggressive defensive line, and the German has previously worked well in tandem with Gabriel Jesus.

Jurrien Timber came off the bench last weekend to replace Oleksandr Zinchenko, and it'd be a surprise if the Dutchman didn't come into the XI at Villa Park to offer greater defensive security. Riccardo Calafiori will still be waiting for his first Arsenal start.

Fabio Vieira has recovered from a hip injury and will be included in Saturday's matchday squad. The playmaker missed last week's 2-0 win over Wolves.

Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney remain out.

Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Wolves: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Rice, Odegaard, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.

Aston Villa vs Arsenal Score Prediction

Arsenal barely got out of second gear last weekend, but they almost sleepwalked into a negative result before Bukayo Saka put the contest beyond an improving Wolves. The Gunners were keen to cede control in the second half and play in transition, which ultimately paid dividends.

How well Arsenal are able to assert control will be key in a tough environment on Saturday, with the Gunners aiming to produce a statement showing which hopefully returns a huge three points.

We know they're more than capable on the big occasion, and I think they'll benefit from facing a Villa side early on in the 2024/25 campaign. If Arsenal are efficient in front of goal, I'll back them to snatch all three points on the road.

Prediction: Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal

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