Arsenal vs Aston Villa LIVE: Gunners looking to continue title charge against high-flying Aston Villa – kick-off time, team news and how to follow

Arsenal will continue their quest for the Premier League title this afternoon with the visit of Aston Villa.

The Gunners are currently top of the table in terms of goal difference and are undefeated throughout 2024, so things are looking good for Mikel Arteta’s men.

Arsenal are locked in a three-way battle for the title but show no signs of letting up.

However, Villa have been one of the best teams in the league this season and beat the Gunners in the reverse fixture at Villa Park.

Unai Emery’s men are also fighting for a Champions League place with Tottenham and will want to get a result in north London to stay in touch.

Arsenal vs Aston Villa: Emery’s revenge

It would be fair to say that Emery’s time at Arsenal ended badly, and although he has achieved a lot since then, his time with the Gunners will always be painful.

The Spaniard replaced Arsène Wenger but, after a good start, things quickly soured with the players, media and supporters.

He became a bit of a laughing stock with members of the first team openly mocking Emery, while the fans made it clear in the end that he was not the man for them.

Overall, it was a stain on Emery’s excellent record, and he would relish the opportunity to dash their title hopes, while boosting Villa’s Champions League chances.

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• Arsenal have won five of their last six Premier League home games against Aston Villa, losing the other 3-0 in November 2020.
• Following their 1-0 win against them at Villa Park in December, Aston Villa are looking to complete just their third Premier League double against Arsenal, having done so in 1992-93 and 2020-21.
• Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last nine Premier League away matches against London sides (W6 D3), having lost eight of their previous nine previously (W1). This is the Villans’ longest unbeaten streak in the capital in their league history.

Arsenal vs Aston Villa: team news

The Gunners have just one injury problem, with Jurrien Timber still not fully fit after an ACL injury.

The Dutchman picked up the problem in the season opener against Nottingham Forest and has been out ever since.

However, he is expected to play at least one game at some point before the end of the campaign, with Arteta revealing he “still has a few steps to go” before he can return.

Meanwhile, the Villans are without Boubacar Kamara, Tyrone Mings and Emi Buendia due to similar injuries.

Jacob Ramsey’s season is over after suffering another ankle injury, while Matty Cash has a hamstring problem.

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• Arsenal have won 10 of their last 11 Premier League games (D1), scoring at least twice in each victory. The Gunners have conceded just four goals in those 11 games, three of which came at the Emirates Stadium.
• Aston Villa lost 4-1 at Manchester City in their last Premier League away game, but have not lost consecutively on the road since May 2023. However, they have lost each of their three matches away. away against last season’s top four so far. an overall score of 12-4.
• Aston Villa have caught their opponents offside 142 times in the Premier League this season, more than 40 more than any other team. Meanwhile, only Man City (33) have been flagged offside less often than the Villans (38).

Arsenal vs Aston Villa: what was said?

Former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas believes the Gunners will become regular contenders for the Premier League title.

He said: “If they manage to win the first one (under Arteta), I think it could become a constant threat for Arsenal to challenge for all the big titles.

“It’s all about Edu and the owners giving him the time and the right tools to prove himself.

“When that happens, structure, vision and trust come together and things happen. That’s why I’m happy.

“I always use them as an example, Mikel’s first two years, at any other club or someone else handling the situation could have just gotten rid of Mikel and said ‘we’re going in another direction’.

“But they had a clear plan, a clear process, they took the right steps, they invested in quality young players and now you get all the results of those ups and downs of the first two or three years.

“They are there, they played really well and they are a good example of how football should be played.”

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• Arsenal’s Kai Havertz has been involved in nine goals in his last seven Premier League appearances (5 goals, 4 assists), while overall this is his most productive Premier League campaign for goals (9) and assists (5).
• Bukayo Saka has been involved in 11 goals in his last 11 Premier League appearances, scoring nine and assisting two. A further goal would see him become the first English player to score 15 league goals for Arsenal since Ian Wright in 1996-97 (23).
• Ollie Watkins has been involved in 11 goals in his last 10 Premier League games (9 goals, 2 assists) and seven in his last four away games (5 goals, 2 assists). His 18 goals in total this season are the second most by an Aston Villa player in a single Premier League campaign, after Christian Benteke (19 in 2012-13).
• Leandro Trossard has eight Premier League goals this season, his most in a single campaign. Four of them have been substitutes, with only Olivier Giroud having scored more on the Arsenal bench in a season (6 in 2016-17).

Arsenal vs Aston Villa: date and how to follow

This Premier League clash will take place on Sunday April 14.

Kick-off in the Emirates is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

The match will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League.

Sky Go customers will be able to watch the action on their laptops and mobile devices.

Alternatively, fans can purchase a one-day NOW TV pass for £11.98.

talkSPORT will have updates throughout and talkSPORT.com will have a live blog to keep you up to date with everything.

To tune into talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 via the website, click HERE for the live stream. You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, via your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.