How Will the Gunners Stop In-Form Aston Villa at Villa Park - Full Match Preview and Prediction for Aston Villa vs Arsenal

Unai Emery will be keen to derail Arsenal's title charge yet again as his former side visits Villa Park in Saturday's early kickoff. Meanwhile, the host will also look to continue their winning runs. Find out more about Aston Villa vs Arsenal prediction, Aston Villa vs Arsenal preview, predicted lineups, and injury news.

Aston Villa are one of the most in-form teams in the league. They picked up a fourth successive victory midweek against Brighton in a seven-goal thriller. After going 2-0 down, Ollie Watkins broke his goalscoring duck to pull them level as they raced into a 4-2 lead later on. Brighton pulled one back to set up a tense finale, but the Villans got the job done. It saw Villa rise to third in the table. Their slow start feels like a thing of the past now. With very few injury troubles and players back in form, if Unai Emery can inflict a defeat on his ex-side, they will blow the title race wide open and even throw their hat in the ring as outsiders for the title.

Aston Villa vs Arsenal Preview

Arsenal found joy against Brentford midweek after getting their nose bloodied by Chelsea. The North London outfit drew against Chelsea last weekend as their defence had new faces. Against Brentford, they returned to default settings by scoring early and late on. Despite Mikel Arteta's rotation, they looked solid in the game. They kept their opponents at arm's length and barely blinked when the Bees had set pieces. However, the game against Brentford led to the Gunners taking some heavy blows.

Cristhian Mosquera, who is deputising for William Saliba, landed awkwardly and had to be replaced in the first half. More concerningly, Declan Rice went down clutching his calf muscle and had to leave early. They can not afford to lose Rice for any stretch of games in this key festive period. Mikel Arteta will be hopeful of getting his key men back, or he will face his predecessor with a new centre-back pairing. Now that we've gotten the Aston Villa vs Arsenal preview, let's delve into Aston Villa vs Arsenal predicted lineups and team news.

Aston Villa vs Arsenal Match Info

Match Name: Matchday 15

Stadium Name: Villa Park, Birmingham, UK

Kickoff Time: Saturday, 06th December 2025, 12:30 GMT

Aston Villa Team News

Unai Emery provides Aston Villa players injury update, like Emiliano Martinez pulled out of the Brighton game after suffering an injury during warmups. Marco Bizot deputised for him and will continue to do so if he fails to recover. Lucas Digne will return to the lineup ahead of Ian Maatsen. Donyell Malen's goalscoring form will also earn him a place on the right. However, there is a chance he might play Youri Tielemans in the number 10 role ahead of the industrious John McGinn.

Aston Villa Predicted XI (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Bizot

Defenders: Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne

Midfielders: Onana, Kamara

Forward: Malen, Tielemans, Rogers; Watkins

Arsenal Team News

Arteta rotated heavily midweek, and Arteta is likely to retain his starters in the lineup. However, the injuries in defence might hamper his plans. If Saliba fails to prove his fitness, Jurrien Timber will partner with Piero Hincapie in the heart of defence. Bukayo Saka will return to the lineup. However, Mikel Merino's excellent run at number 9 might even keep the fit again Viktor Gyokeres out of the starting XI.

Arsenal Predicted XI (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Raya

Defenders: White, Timber, Hincapie, Calafiori

Midfielders: Zubimendi, Rice

Forward: Saka, Odegaard, Eze; Merino

Aston Villa vs Arsenal Injury News

Here's a look at the Aston Villa vs Arsenal injury news. Arsenal injury concerns, especially in defence, will take a heavy toll on them.

Aston Villa vs Arsenal Injury List

Here are the injured players for Aston Villa for their Aston Villa vs Arsenal fixture.

Aston Villa vs Arsenal Injury List

Here are the injured players for Arsenal for their Aston Villa vs Arsenal fixture.

Aston Villa vs Arsenal Prediction

Emery takes great pride in hurting Arsenal's title charge. This time around, he will enter the game with the expectation of winning it. Cheered on by an electric Villa Park, they will make attacking difficult for Arsenal. We expect both these sides to cancel each other out.

Sportsdunia's Aston Villa vs Arsenal Prediction: Aston Villa 1-1 Arsenal