Premier League line-up and preview

Arsenal vs Aston Villa preview

Premier League title contenders Arsenal And Villa Aston meet for the second time in four weeks when they clash at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday evening.

Villa won at Birmingham less than a month ago, but the Gunners go into this rematch still top of the table, while their visitors arrive on the back of a remarkable winning run, stretching to 12 games.

The Gunners have now won nine of their last 10 home Premier League matches, including each of the last six, marking their best run at the Emirates since 2022.

Two points clear at the summit and three ahead of Aston Villa, Arsenal can secure top spot heading into the new year by extending that streak at home on Tuesday.

However, Villa have enjoyed recent success in this fixture, winning three of the last five league meetings between the teams, with Arsenal picking up just four points in that period.

Despite this, the hosts have won their final league game of the calendar year in four of the last five seasons, while Aston Villa’s record in end-of-year matches is less encouraging, with just two wins from their last 13.

Unai Emery’s side have developed a reputation for recovering in the second half, and that trend continued at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, where Ollie Watkins came off the bench to score twice in a 2-1 win over Chelsea.

Villa have now recovered 18 points from losing positions in the Premier League this season, the most of any team, and their eight-game league winning streak represents their longest top-flight streak since 1910.

Team News Arsenal vs Aston Villa

Arteta could rotate his squad amid a busy festive schedule, particularly after Declan Rice was deployed at right-back against Brighton.

Arsenal remain without Jurrien Timber, while Riccardo Calafiori was injured in the warm-up at the weekend. Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera are also sidelined.

Gabriel Magalhaes has returned to action recently, but his willingness to start remains uncertain.

Eberechi Eze is pushing for a starting role after recording five goals in four Premier League home games against Aston Villa, and he has scored in Arsenal’s last league game in each of the last three calendar years.

For the visitors, Emery must make two forced changes, with Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara both suspended after receiving bookings against Chelsea.

Amadou Onana should replace Kamara in midfield, while Lamare Bogarde could replace him at right-back.