Arsenal vs Aston Villa

When Aston Villa's Lions team travels to the Emirates to play Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday night, head coach Unai Emery hopes to capture another scalp at his old haunt.

In the midweek round of games, both teams prevailed: Villa defeated David Moyes 1-0 on his Everton homecoming, while the Gunners defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in a crucial North London derby.

Arsenal has missed opportunities to take advantage of their title rivals' mistakes on multiple occasions this season, but Mikel Arteta's team did not allow another fantastic opportunity slip by on Tuesday after Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, and Liverpool all lost points.

Last April, Emery dealt the final blow to the Gunners' Premier League chances by orchestrating a 2-0 victory for Villa, which stands as the hosts' most recent top-flight loss at home. Emery had already finished his Arsenal vengeance mission following his early 2019 resignation.

The West Midlands team has condemned their terrible fall season to history and is coming off a third consecutive victory in all competitions, so they have a good chance of repeating that outcome this time around.

Villa won by a one-goal margin at Goodison Park on Wednesday, after starting 2025 with consecutive 2-1 victories over West Ham United and Leicester City in the league and FA Cup, respectively. Ollie Watkins condemned Moyes to a losing start to his second stint as Everton manager.

Emery's seventh-place team is now only three points outside of the Champions League spots as a result of the victory on Merseyside. The Lions had previously lost five straight Premier League games away from home and had failed to keep a clean sheet since their victory at the Emirates last April.

Arsenal, however, has already exacted revenge for that heartbreaking loss with a 2-0 victory at Villa Park in August. This is still the Lions' only Premier League home loss of the season, and making amends for last season's home humiliation would allow them to pass yet another crucial test of their title credentials.

Arsenal's victory over Tottenham on Wednesday was their first match since Gabriel Jesus suffered a devastating ACL injury, which will surely keep him out for the remainder of the season while they look elsewhere for January signings.

In the midst of rumors that he may be sold to Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce, the Brazilian officially denied Emery's assertion on social media. Speaking of moves, Jaden Philogene was revealed as an Ipswich Town loan player on Wednesday night.

Watkins, a devoted Arsenal supporter who scored Villa's second goal at the Emirates last season, will undoubtedly keep his spot up front, but Jhon Duran, who is still awaiting his first Premier League minutes of 2025, was an unused replacement at Goodison Park after serving his suspension.

Donyell Malen may also make his Villa debut in Saturday's matchup against the team he played for as a young player from 2015 to 2017, but the recent Borussia Dortmund addition shouldn't be considered for a starting position right away.

Arsenal had a rough week, missing the chance to close the gap on Liverpool at Brighton, losing 2-0 in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, and being knocked out of the FA Cup by 10-man Manchester United. However, there’s a glimmer of hope after their thrilling comeback victory over Tottenham, combined with Liverpool's 1-1 draw at the City Ground.

Thanks to these midweek results, Arsenal are now just four points behind the Premier League leaders, who have a tough away trip to Brentford on Saturday.

On the other hand, Aston Villa is on a roll, having secured three straight wins against Leicester, West Ham, and Everton. Their perfect nine-point haul has lifted them to seventh place, just three points behind Newcastle in the race for the final Champions League spot.

But for Villa to maintain their push for Europe, manager Emery will need to see improvement in their away form. They've won only four of their 10 league games on the road and have conceded 19 goals – only Leicester and Wolves have let in more.