At A Glance
Aston Villa entertain Premier League leaders Arsenal at Villa Park, just three days after Wednesday night's outstanding 1-0 victory over last season's treble winners Manchester City.
Two places and four points separate third-placed Villa from Saturday's visitors, with Unai Emery's side having lost just one of their previous 11 league matches.
Villa have won 14 home league games in a row, matching our achievements of 1903 and 1930-31, and could create a club record this weekend with another victory in B6.
The Villans haven't dropped a single point on home soil since Arsenal's visit in February, when the Gunners struck twice in injury time to inflict a 4-2 defeat.
Arsenal claimed a dramatic 4-3 victory at Luton Town on Tuesday night courtesy of Declan Rice's last-gasp 97th-minute winner.
It ensured the north London outfit extended their winning sequence to six successive matches in all competitions, including four in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta's side have tasted defeat just once in the league this term, coming via a 1-0 reverse at Newcastle United in early November.
The Gunners top the away league table this season having W5 D1 L1, and come up against a Villa side who lead the home standings with a record of W7 D0 L0.
Standout Stats
Villa have equalled the club record of 14 successive home league wins, previously achieved in the top flight in 1903 and again in 1931. They last dropped points at Villa Park when conceding two stoppage-time goals in a 4-2 defeat by Arsenal in February.
Villa's two victories in their past 21 home league matches against Arsenal were both by 1-0, in July 2020 and February 2021 (D7, L12).
Arsenal have won four consecutive league meetings, after Mikel Arteta lost each of his first three top-flight matches in charge against Aston Villa.
Villa are vying to win their opening eight home matches in a top-flight season for the first time since 1932/33.
Only in 1980/81, when we last won the title, have Villa ever had more than their current tally of 32 points after 15 top-flight games in a season.
Villa’s total of 23 Premier League victories in 2023 is level with Arsenal and only bettered by the 26 for Manchester City. Villa haven't won more top-flight fixtures in a calendar year since equalling the club record of 24 in 1931.
The Villans are the only club not to have dropped a Premier League point from a winning position this season, winning all 10 games in which they have led.
Unai Emery is only the fifth manager to win as many as 25 of his first 40 Premier League matches in charge of a club.
Ollie Watkins has scored 20 Premier League goals in 2023, one shy of the club record for a calendar year set by Dwight Yorke in 1996.
The Gunners have won six competitive matches in a row, scoring 18 goals, since their only Premier League defeat of the season at Newcastle United on November 4.
They have the most points (55), wins (17) and clean sheets (14) in Premier League away fixtures since the beginning of last season.
Arsenal's tally of 36 points is their third highest after 15 games of a Premier League campaign, behind last season's 40 and 37 in 2007/08.
Bukayo Saka, 22, could become the fifth-youngest player to make 150 Premier League appearances.
The Last Meeting
Aston Villa suffered injury-time heartbreak as Arsenal struck late on to inflict a dramatic 4-2 defeat at Villa Park.
Villa twice took the lead but the spoils looked to be shared heading into added time, only for the Gunners to twice find the net in the closing stages.
Ollie Watkins drilled the Villans in front after just five minutes before Bukayo Saka thundered Arsenal level, with Philippe Coutinho restoring Villa’s advantage just after the half hour with a well-taken finish.
Oleksandr Zinchenko levelled again in the second half before the injury time drama unfolded. Jorginho’s long-range strike rebounded off the underside of the crossbar and hit the back of an unfortunate Emi Martínez before Gabriel Martinelli added a fourth on the breakaway.
Team News
Unai Emery will assess his squad ahead of the encounter, with Wednesday’s superb 1-0 victory over Manchester City the club’s third match in the space of seven days.
Matty Cash, Lucas Digne and Douglas Luiz are all one booking away from a fifth of the season and an automatic one-match suspension.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will serve a touchline ban at Villa Park after collecting his third booking of the season at the end of Tuesday’s clash at Luton Town.
The Boss
“Now, we have to be happy and we have to be focused. The match on Wednesday is finished and we enjoyed that moment with our supporters in Villa Park, but now we have to focus 100% on the match on Saturday. Again, it’s a big challenge and a great moment but we’re very focused in our professional work for Saturday.”
Unai Emery