Arsenal face a tough test up against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Arsenal will be looking to extend their winning streak to seven matches with a victory at Villa Park this weekend. However, the Gunners face a tough test.
Aston Villa are in excellent form, particularly at home, and will be on a major high having beaten Manchester City last time out. Unai Emery will also be keen to get one over on his former employers.
Mikel Arteta will know that his side have to be at their best to stand any chance of earning all three points at Villa Park. His power to influence proceedings during the match will be limited too, as he will be serving a touchline ban for this fixture.
Before taking his place in the stands at Villa Park, though, the Spanish coach must pick his team for this Premier League clash.
Predicted Arsenal starting XI to face Aston Villa
David Raya
Despite his nightmare display against Luton Town, which drew the ire of many Arsenal fans, we expect Arteta to stick with David Raya for this match. The 28-year-old is clearly his favoured pick between the sticks and he needs to keep faith in him through this tough period.
Another poor performance against Aston Villa would provoke the calls for Aaron Ramsdale’s return to hit an even higher pitch though.
Ben White
With Takehiro Tomiyasu sidelined, Ben White is the obvious pick here.
William Saliba
Arsenal’s best defender will need to be at his best up against Ollie Watkins.
Gabriel Magalhaes
Like Saliba beside him, the Brazilian centre-back will need to be at the top of his game. As a unit, the Gunners must produce a more solid defensive display this weekend than they managed to muster against Luton.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
We expect Oleksandr Zinchenko to return to the starting XI after Jakub Kiwior got the nod against Luton. The Polish defender did fine at Kenilworth Road, but Arsenal looked far better once the £32 million former Manchester City man made it onto the field.
Up agains the in-form Leon Bailey though, Zinchenko can’t afford any lapses in his concentration at the back.
Declan Rice
Simply undroppable.
Martin Odegaard
The stats make it clear that Martin Odegaard is now back to his best. He made a captain’s contribution with his last gasp assist against Luton and will need to lead by example once again this time around.
Kai Havertz
Arteta ought to keep faith in Kai Havertz who has now bagged three goals in his last four outings. Even Piers Morgan is convinced of his quality now.
Bukayo Saka
Like Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka is etched onto the teamsheet.
Gabriel Martinelli
Leandro Trossard will feel unfortunate to miss out, but Gabriel Martinelli is back amongst the goals and his willingness to help out defensively will be crucial this weekend.
Gabriel Jesus
Arteta loved what he saw from Gabriel Jesus against Luton and will want more of the same from the striker on Saturday.
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