Comments, predictions Aston Villa vs Arsenal: Defeat old teacher

Arsenal managers, old and new, go head-to-head in the West Midlands on Saturday evening, as the Gunners travel to Unai Emery's Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Both teams have three points after one game, with the Lions overcoming West Ham United 2-1 on the opening day, while Mikel Arteta's side scored twice against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Latest Aston Villa vs Arsenal team information

Eight minutes before the end of Villa's game with West Ham, right-back Matty Cash was substituted and appeared to have suffered an upper leg injury, although Emery did not mention the issue after the match.

However, reserve right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic is available to replace him, but if Cash is unavailable, Emery could opt for the experienced option of moving Ezri Konsa to right-back, allowing Diego Carlos - despite transfer links - to return to the heart of defence.

Boubacar Kamara and Tyrone Mings are still recovering from serious knee injuries, and Villa should consider bringing Duran into the starting line-up; the 20-year-old is averaging a goal every 103 minutes in the Premier League, second only to Erling Haaland – every 85 minutes – among current players with at least five goals in the competition.

Arsenal also had to make a late change in the win over Wolves, with Declan Rice suffering cramp minutes before the end of the game, but the England midfielder is expected to be confirmed as fit to play at Villa Park.

Fabio Vieira (hip) could also recover in time for the trip to the West Midlands, but full-back duo Kieran Tierney (hamstring) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) are still several weeks out.

After a goal and assist in the win over Wolves, Havertz will be looking to erase personal scars on Saturday, as the former Chelsea striker has failed to score or assist in seven previous Premier League appearances against Villa, his worst record against an English side in the top flight.

Aston Villa vs Arsenal latest predicted lineup

Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Bailey, Tielemans, Onana, McGinn; Watkins, Duran

Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli

Latest Aston Villa vs Arsenal match review

Had Jhon Duran made a successful move early in the transfer window, the Colombian striker could have been wearing a different claret shirt than he is now, as he joked about a move to West Ham on social media before the deal ultimately fell through.

Duran watched the game at the London Stadium last week for an hour as Lucas Paqueta's penalty equalised Amadou Onana's opener, and after Emery's players missed several chances to restore their advantage, Duran sealed West Ham's fate with a goal in the 79th minute.

The young striker celebrated his goal by pointing to the London Stadium turf in front of the Villa fans - a gesture that may have hinted at his determination to stay with Emery's side rather than continue at West Ham - as Villa ended a four-game winless run in the Premier League.

Based on the number of chances Villa created, they should have finished Julen Lopetegui's game without the South American's late intervention, but the Lions are now on the verge of opening a Premier League season with back-to-back wins for just the fourth time.

Villa had previously won 15 consecutive Premier League home games in 2023, but Emery's side have lost consistency at home in terms of winning, although they have still scored at least two goals in their last eight games at Villa Park.

Speaking of scoring goals at home, Arsenal's opening game of the 2024-25 season sees them host a Wolves side they have scored against in 33 consecutive games, a run made 34 when Kai Havertz headed home from Bukayo Saka's cross.

Arsenal appeared to be back to their old form for a brief moment, although Arteta's side failed to extend that slender advantage and allowed Gary O'Neil's side back into the game, but another second-half combination between Havertz and Saka ended with Saka beating Jose Sa at the near post.

Arsenal have continued to win convincingly since last weekend, although some of Arteta's players may still be recovering form after the summer break, and keeping Wolves scoreless extended their Premier League winning streak to a commendable seven games.

Arsenal are also an away team in the Premier League, having collected 25 points from a possible 27 in away games in the top flight in 2024, keeping seven clean sheets in those nine and conceding just three goals.

However, Villa were the only team to achieve the Premier League double against Arsenal last season – winning 1-0 at home before a shock 2-0 win at the Emirates – meaning former Arsenal boss Emery has a good grasp of the visitors’ weaknesses in more ways than one. Fourteen wins at Villa Park are Arsenal’s most away from home in the Premier League, but the Gunners were fortunate not to be punished for some poor play against Wolves, where they were not at their best.

Arteta's players can always be expected to hold their own at the back - or nearly so - but with Duran and Ollie Watkins providing a major threat up front for Villa, we predict Saturday's game will end in a tense draw.

Aston Villa vs Arsenal score prediction

Based on the above football comments, we and the world's leading football sites have given the results of the match.Aston Villa vs Arsenalas follows:

• Sportsmole:Aston Villa 1-1 Arsenal

• WhoScore:Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal
• Our newspaper predicts:Aston Villa 1-3 Arsenal

When and where to watch Aston Villa vs Arsenal live?

To watch live the Aston Villa vs Arsenal match in the Premier League taking place at 11:30 p.m. on August 24, viewers can watch onK+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. Wish you have fun watching football.

Hung Cuong