Villa at Arsenal today and match facts from the BBC
Today at 04:35 AM
I was in a pub for the Everton game and my phone died, but it was a good result and a needed one. It's put us in a good place and we need to be a good place as much as possible this season, because it's non stop and it's hard to get back if we drop points.
After today, we have Monaco on Tuesday and West Ham again next weekend. This is arguably the business end of the season for us now and we need to do everything we can to stay in as good a place as possible.
If we are where we are with five or six games to go this season, we are giving ourselves a very good chance. That we are here, is a positive and something we should all be very happy with. And yes today will be tough, but not because it's Arsenal.
It doesn't matter who we play, every game is tough this season because we have set a bar. But it's the matches against sides like Arsenal where we seem to do better. I'm not saying that is going to happen today, but it did last season. And if we look at the numbers, we are only five points off Arsenal if we do win - that number doesn't scare me.
What I mean is, how much better than us can they be if that is the potential gap. Arsenal will be thinking the same and if Liverpool drop points at Brentford, it's going to be an added incentive for them. And Brentford are a very good side at home. I really do love football.
Match facts from the BBC
Head-to-head
Aston Villa won 2-0 in last season's corresponding fixture and are vying to beat Arsenal in successive away league games for the first time since 1993.
Arsenal have lost five of the past 10 Premier League meetings, as many as they had in their previous 46 against Villa.
None of the last 18 Premier League encounters between these sides have been drawn.
Arsenal
Arsenal are unbeaten in 13 Premier League home fixtures since a 2-0 defeat by Aston Villa last April (W10, D3). Their most recent longer run without defeat at the Emirates spanned 16 games in 2018-19 under current Villa boss Unai Emery.
The Gunners are unbeaten in 44 matches in all competitions in which they've scored since a 2-1 loss against Fulham in December 2023 (W36, D8).
They have scored 26 goals from corners in the Premier League since the start of last season, the most of any team.
Arsenal have had a greater expected goals total than their opponent in 26 of their 31 games in all competitions this season, including 19 of the last 20.
Martin Odegaard has created 42 chances in all competitions since returning from injury in November, almost twice as many as any other Arsenal player. That includes 14 chances in his past two appearances.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa have won their first two Premier League games of a calendar year for the first time since 2009, when they triumphed in their opening three.
They ended a run of five straight away league defeats by beating Everton 1-0 on Wednesday. That was their first clean sheet in 12 top-flight away fixtures since a 2-0 win at Arsenal last April.
Unai Emery's side have conceded a goal from their opponent's first shot on target in 11 Premier League matches this season, more than any other team.
They have also conceded 11 top-flight goals after the 75th minute in the current campaign. Only Southampton, who have let in 12, have a worse record.
Emery has reached 60 wins in 113 games in charge, the quickest of any Aston Villa manager.
This season, Ollie Watkins has missed a league-high 19 of his 27 big chances – defined as a situation in which a player is expected to score.
