ARSENAL’S hopes of going EIGHT points clear on Saturday depend on them ending one of the Prem’s best home runs against their former boss.
Since the Gunners won at Aston Villa last season, Villa Park has become a fortress for Unai Emery’s men, losing just one of their last TWENTY-FIVE home league games.
That defeat came in August when Emery’s side were in the middle of a slow start which saw them fail to even score in their opening four games, with their loss to Crystal Palace in August a rare blot on their home copybook.
But Arsenal can take solace from their own excellent record at Villa Park as in Prem history they have won a total of 15 games at the midlands venue – their most at any away stadium in the competition, level with Palace’s Selhurst Park.
Villa also struggle against top sides – since their return to the Premier League in 2019, they have faced the side top of the table on eight different occasions, but have won only ONCE, drawn once and lost the other six.
That win, though, was in December 2023 against Mikel Arteta‘s table-toppers, when John McGinn’s goal gave them a 1-0 win in the middle of another outstanding home run – it was a club record 15th straight win at Villa Park.
Arsenal have lost five of their 12 games against Villa since their promotion six years ago, which is as many as they had lost in their previous 45 league clashes before the Villans sunk into the Championship in 2016.
Only one of those 12 games has ended all square, January’s 2-2 draw at the Emirates when Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins struck as Villa hit back from 2-0 down to grab a point.
The Villans will also have to try and crack the Prem’s best defence, and a side who this week set a new English football record.
The Gunners have now gone an amazing 108 games – and three years – since last conceding more than two goals in any competition – with Wednesday’s win over Brentford taking them past Manchester United’s run of 107 games between 2016 and 2018.
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It’s even more remarkable that the last team to score three goals against the Gunners are now playing in League One under the management of a former Arsenal star – Luton Town, who netted three in classic encounter three years ago today, which was won 4-3 by Declan Rice’s stoppage-time goal.
But Villa have won their last six games, and won 4-3 themselves on Wednesday, at Brighton, with two goals for Watkins – only against the Seagulls (nine) has the England striker scored more Prem goals than he has against Arsenal (six).
Elsewhere this weekend, Chelsea will try to bounce back from their Leeds disappointment when they go to Bournemouth, where they have only lost one of eight Premier League games, a 4-0 loss in January 2019.
But there is one omen that doesn’t bode well for Enzo Maresca’s Blues – they have lost both of their previous 3pm games on a Saturday so far this season, both home games, against Brighton and Sunderland.
They last lost three in a row at 3pm on Saturday 25 years ago, in November 2000 when they suffered losses to Southampton (3-2), Charlton (2-0) and Everton (2-1).
