Arsenal aims for perfect start in EPL against Villa

Arsenal will try to keep their perfect start to the Premier League season when they visit Aston Villa at Villa Park on Monday at 8pm. Villa, under Unai Emery, enters this match after a big summer shake-up and a heavy 4-0 loss in their first game.

Arsenal began their season with a win over Coventry. They have won their first away game in each of the last four Premier League seasons. They also managed to keep a clean sheet every time.

Interestingly, Arsenal has never won their opening away match for five straight seasons. This was noted in a preview on the club's website.

On the other hand, Villa has lost many key players since their strong 2025/26 season, which saw them qualify for the Champions League and win the Europa League.

Morgan Rogers moved to Chelsea for £117m, Youri Tielemans is now with Manchester United, Lucas Digne joined Paris Saint-Germain, and Ezri Konsa is now with Arsenal. Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Martinez have also left.

Only five players from Villa’s Europa League final win over Freiburg are still at the club. Villa has also started the new season poorly, losing 4-0 to Brighton after conceding all four goals before half-time.

Konsa returns to face Arsenal

Konsa might make his debut for Arsenal against his former team. Bruno Guimaraes could also see his first Premier League match for Arsenal after recovering from a groin injury he got during the Community Shield.

Jurrien Timber is getting closer to returning from his groin injury, but Monday’s match might be too soon for him. William Saliba is still out due to a long-term back issue.

Villa will miss Joao Gomes, who was sent off against Brighton. Amadou Onana is expected to sit out the entire season with an ACL injury. Johann Manzambi is also unavailable, while Tammy Abraham has a groin problem and Brian Madjo missed the first league game due to an injury.

New signings Nicolas Jackson, Zion Suzuki, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Leon Goretzka could make their debuts for Villa.

Arteta praises Emery's experience

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised Emery as one of the most experienced and successful managers in the Premier League. He said Villa had an “incredible season” last year.

“This is the best squad that we have, or we believe we could have right now, and that’s it. That’s not the best squad that we’re going to have in a month’s time because hopefully the players will improve, the team will improve and we’ll be better.

“[Emery] is one of the most experienced managers in the league and one of the most successful without a shadow of a doubt. What Villa did last year and how they finished, it was an incredible season. It’s just one game and that’s it, I’m sure he will turn it around,” Arteta said.

Arsenal's record at Villa Park

Arsenal has won 15 Premier League games at Villa Park, more than any other away venue in the league. However, they lost their last visit there last season when Emiliano Buendia scored a last-minute winner in a 2-1 victory for Villa, despite Leandro Trossard having equalized.

Arsenal has won seven of their last 10 evening kick-offs against Villa in the Premier League, including their last three in a row. Villa has won four of their seven home Premier League matches against Arsenal since coming back to the top flight in 2019.

The hosts have also won their last three Premier League home games against the reigning champions. Villa has struggled to score, failing to net in five of their last six Premier League games in August, including their last four over the past two seasons.

John McGinn has been involved in scoring or assisting in each of his last six matches at Villa Park in all competitions, with five goals and two assists. Meanwhile, Kai Havertz has contributed to seven goals in his last nine away matches for Arsenal, scoring five and assisting two.

The EPL has announced that Jarred Gillett will referee the match, with Neil Davies and Steve Meredith as assistants. Sam Barrott will be the fourth official, James Bell is the VAR, and Nick Hopton will assist the VAR.