Aston Villa Vs Arsenal Preview: Former Threat

Arsenal are eyeing victory even though facing a game is not easy against Aston Villa. (Twitter @arsenal)

JAKARTA - Arsenal are threatened for facing Aston Villa, an opponent who cannot be underestimated at all. Moreover, Unai Emery's manager who has handled Arsenal is behind Villa's success.

Arsenal pocketed strong capital when they visited Villa's headquarters in the 2023/2024 Premier League duel at Villa Park Stadium, Sunday, December 10, 2023, early morning WIB.

A dramatic 4-3 victory over Luton Town in the midweek match not only confirmed Arsenal's position at the top of the standings.

These results make confidence and motivation for players to be boosted because they are able to get through the barrier of mental stress when facing a team that never gives up.

Tim tetap bermain dengan speed tinggi demi meraih kemenangan. Hasilnya Declan Rice mencetak gol yang menentukan kemenangan di detik-sik terakhir atau menit 90+7.

Now, Arsenal are still determined to lead the standings by pocketing point 36. Only the Gunners' position is completely unsafe so they have to hunt for victory in every match.

How could I not, this 13-time Premier League champion is only two points ahead of Liverpool who are in second place. Meanwhile, Villa, who succeeded in displacing Manchester City, took third place with 32 points.

If Arsenal loses points then Villa will close the distance of points. In addition, their position could be won by Liverpool if the Red beat Crystal Palace.

Even Liverpool were able to win the top position because the match against Palace was held on Saturday, December 9, 2023, afternoon local time.

The tight competition at the top that made Arsenal aim at three points at Villa Park. Only, Manager Mikel Arteta is facing a backline problem.

Goalkeeper David Raya's blunder against Luton could make the team wary. He made two mistakes that almost made Arsenal lose.

In the aftermath, Arteta was urged to return Aaron Ramsdale as the first goalkeeper. Ramsdale himself performed brilliantly last season even though he only brought Arsenal to be the league runners-up.

However, Raya's arrival, which was borrowed from Brentford, even got rid of Ramsdale. In the aftermath, rumors circulated that the second goalkeeper of the England national team wanted to leave the Emirates because he no longer got minutes to play.

Arteta also refused to blame Raya, which means the Spanish national team goalkeeper remains the first choice against Villa.

"We just have to defend better. The most important thing is how the team responds. They show a very good reaction. That's what I like," said Arteta.

Sementara pundit sepak bola, Chris Totaling, menyebut Raya bisa menjadi hambatan bagi Arsenal untuk memburu titel liga.

"He can no longer make mistakes if Arsenal want to win the league," said the former England national team striker.

In that match, Arteta still could not field the best squad. The Japanese national team midfielder, Takehiro Tomiyasu, can no longer be played in the match against Luton.

He suffered a calf injury while appearing to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the previous match. Tomiyasu follows his colleagues such as Fabio Vieira, Thomas Partey, and injured Ben White.

Not only that, Arteta also could not accompany the team because it was suspended. He got a third yellow card for celebrating excessively Rice's goal.

On the other hand, the match gave Villa Manager, Unai Emery, the opportunity to settle his grudge. Emery is none other than Arsenal's former manager.

He handled the Gunners for one year before being sacked and replaced by Arteta. Emery had returned to Spain to deal with Real Sociedad before returning to England.

This time, he initiated Villa to be transformed into a solid team this season. Villa became a surprising team and managed to break into the top three after beating Man City 1-0.

The victory extended Villa's brilliant record while playing at home. They recorded a 15-time win at home.

Emery also broke the record of not being able to win when he met Pep Guardiola who handled Man City. Of the 13 meetings with Guardiola, both in England and Spain, Emery could never win.

The record was broken when Villa hosted The Citizens. Not only winning, they were able to show dominance over Man City.

If Villa are able to maintain that performance, they are predicted to win over Arsenal.

If you experience an anti-limax, Arsenal will take points in away matches. At least Arsenal forced a draw for beating Villa at home was not easy. Forecast of the Lineup of Players

Aston Villa (4-4-1-1): Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Diaby, Luiz, Kamara, McGinn; Tielemans; Watkins

Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli