Overview
- Kickoff is 12:30pm GMT at Villa Park with UK coverage on TNT Sports via discovery+ and U.S. coverage on USA Network and Universo with streaming on Peacock.
- Arsenal arrive top after beating Brentford, but face uncertainty over multiple defenders with William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães and Cristhian Mosquera all fitness concerns.
- Villa’s goalkeeper Emi Martínez faces a late call after a back issue that forced him out during warm-ups at Brighton, with Marco Bizot on standby.
- Both teams are in strong form, with Villa on a sustained winning run and Arsenal unbeaten in a long stretch, as a home win could lift Villa to second and a Gunners victory could open an eight‑point cushion before City play.
- Pre‑match projections point to Eberechi Eze operating in an advanced role and Viktor Gyökeres in contention to start, with Mikel Merino also considered up front as Arteta weighs rotations.