Aston Villa will hope to bounce back to winning ways in the Premier League when they host Arsenal at Villa Park on Saturday.
The Villans lost 2-1 to West Ham at the London Stadium last weekend, which brought an end to their three-game winning run. The loss left them ninth in the league table, ten points adrift of eighth-placed Wolves.
Steven Gerrard will expect a response from his side against Arsenal, who visit Villa Park off the back of a 2-0 home loss to Liverpool in midweek.
Aston Villa Team News
Aston Villa have been dealt with a triple injury blow ahead of the weekend fixture. Lucas Digne was forced off with a muscle problem in the first half against West Ham, and while he is not ruled out, it looks unlikely that the left-back will face Arsenal.
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Calum Chambers and Douglas Luiz suffered facial injuries against West Ham, with the latter needing stitches to his mouth. As a result, both of them remain doubtful.
Predicted Aston Villa Lineup vs Arsenal (4-3-2-1)
Goalkeeper
Emiliano Martinez is a certainty to start in the Aston Villa goal. He will be itching to prove a point against his former employers and keep a clean sheet on Saturday.
Defence
Matty Cash has been excellent down the right with his overlapping runs, crosses and tenacious tackling. He is a definite starter at right-back, but Ashley Young may be expected to deputise at left-back if Lucas Digne doesn’t attain full fitness from a slight muscle problem.
Predicted Aston Villa Lineup vs Arsenal
With Calum Chambers also doubtful, Ezri Konsa should get the nod to partner Tyrone Mings at centre-back. The Aston Villa backline will need to be disciplined and focused for the entire 90 minutes to keep a rip-roaring Arsenal attack at bay.
Midfield
Douglas Luiz looks touch and go following a facial injury sustained last weekend, and Gerrard may not risk him from the start against Arsenal. This could see the Villa tactician bank on his energy over John McGinn’s passing and defensive skills in midfield.
McGinn would take Luiz’s defensive midfield position, with Morgan Sanson and Jacob Ramsey slotting in as the two 8s in Gerrard’s system.
If Villa are to get a positive result, their midfield trio of McGinn, Sanson and Ramsey must not allow Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey too much time on the ball.
Attack
Not only is Philippe Coutinho performing superbly as the no.10, but he is also doing it with ease and poise. His incisive passing skills and vision would be needed to unlock a rigid Arsenal backline.
Gerrard could tweak his formation by bringing in another creative midfielder in Emiliano Buendia for striker Danny Ings to assist Coutinho in the final third. The presence of two 10s should benefit Ollie Watkins, whose pace and aerial ability would make him a real handful against the Gunners.
