Arsenal visit former boss Unai Emery and his Aston Villa side on Saturday, August 24, at 5:30pm UK time. Here’s a look at the potential line-up for the Gunners:
GOALKEEPER – David Raya has well and truly overtaken Aaron Ramsdale as the number one shot-stopper under Mikel Arteta. The former Brentford goalie will be a nailed on starter in Birmingham and will look to follow-up on his clean sheet from the win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
DEFENDERS – Though Riccardo Calafiori’s signing has raised the excitement levels among the Arsenal faithful, Arteta will likely not make any radical changes to his backline in what promises to be a daunting away visit at a venue where they lost 1-0 last December.
Oleksandr Zinchenko is expected to keep his place with the 27-year-old picked ahead of Calafiori at left-back meaning the Italian needs to wait to make his full debut.
Ben White will start at right-back while William Saliba will start next to Gabriel in the heart of Arsenal’s defence. Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu are the absentees for Arteta.
An unchanged midfield and attack too
MIDFIELDERS – A minor injury to Fabio Vieira kept him out of the Wolves game and he remains a doubt this weekend. Thomas Partey started in midfield for the Gunners last time out and the former Atletico Madrid star could retain his position in the eleven.
Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard have emerged as indispensable figures at Arsenal and will also start against Emery’s men. Rice could start in a double pivot with Partey on paper but will be given the license to go forward, while Odegaard would be the free-roaming attacking midfielder.
Though Mikel Merino’s transfer to Arsenal is nearly done, the Villa fixture could come too soon so the Spaniard will have to wait to make his first appearance in a Gunners shirt.
FORWARDS – Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz were the match-winners for Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in their success over Wolves. The two are expected to hold their places in the starting eleven on the right wing and middle of attack, respectively, while Gabriel Martinelli will finish an unchanged line-up by featuring on the left wing.
Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus will have to make-do with places among the Arsenal substitutes once again.
Here’s how the Gunners could line-up:
