Arsenal face one of the most important games of the season so far when Aston Villa visit on matchday 19.
It’s only been a matter of weeks since Arsenal lost in the last minute at Villa Park, giving Mikel Arteta’s side additional motivation to beat Aston Villa.
There’s an even greater narrative behind the fixture, as Villa sit three points behind Arsenal in the Premier League table, with Manchester City sandwiched in between.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for Arsenal, who have been stung by Unai Emery in the title race before.
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Double Aston Villa suspension is actually bad news for Arsenal
After beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Aston Villa can make history against Arsenal, but a win won’t be easy to achieve.
It’s not only Arsenal’s form at home that could pose an issue, but also those who will miss out on the action.
Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara will miss the match due to suspension, having both collected yellow cards against Chelsea.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  ArsenalArsenal | 17 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 31 | 10 | 21 | 39 |
| 2 |  Manchester CityManchester City | 17 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 41 | 16 | 25 | 37 |
| 3 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 17 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 27 | 18 | 9 | 36 |
| 4 |  ChelseaChelsea | 17 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 29 | 17 | 12 | 29 |
While it’s good news for Arsenal, particularly as Cash scored against the Gunners on matchday 15, the double absence might remind Arteta of what happened at the Emirates late in the 2023/24 season.
Villa beat Arsenal 2-0 in April 2024, bringing the Gunners’ 12-game unbeaten run to an end in a match that Cash and Kamara actually missed.
That was the last time that Villa faced Arsenal without both of their key players in the starting XI, opening the door to history repeating itself.
Aston Villa have made Arsenal very aware of their greatest threat
The idea of Arsenal falling to a defeat like the one at the Emirates during the 2023/24 campaign is painful, but fortunately, Arteta has the keys to keep Villa at bay.
There’s a reason why Emery’s side are on an 11-game winning streak, and that is because they never believe they’re out of a contest.
Fill in the blank: I feel ____________ about Arsenal’s chances of ending Aston Villa’s 11-game win streak…
Speaking to VillaTV after Villa’s comeback win at Stamford Bridge, Ezri Konsa made the following admission.
“I feel like this season, when we have gone a goal down, we haven’t dropped our heads, we’ve always believed.”
Arsenal know that they can’t afford to take their foot off the gas for even the slimmest period, particularly as Villa feel that Emery has an answer for everything.
After the win at Chelsea, Ollie Watkins praised how his manager adapted to the game by making changes, calling Emery a ‘tactical genius’.
Arsenal will hope that the only evidence of a tactical mastermind on matchday 19 will regard Arteta, who has to come out on top against his countryman.
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