31/08/2026
Tonight Arsenal travel to Villa Park to take on Aston Villa — and despite Villa’s result last time out, I don’t think this is going to be an easy game.
We know Villa Park has caused Arsenal problems in recent seasons, and with Unai Emery there, you can never just assume they’re going to roll over.
For me, there are a few things I’m really interested in seeing tonight.
Firstly, Arsenal’s press.
Villa have shown they can be vulnerable when trying to play out from the back, so I want to see Arsenal put them under pressure early and force mistakes.
Secondly, keep an eye on Tzolis down that left-hand side. He looked dangerous in the opening game, and I want to see whether he can continue being direct and getting into the box.
On the other side, watch the relationship between Saka and Ben White — when one comes inside, does the other provide the width?
And probably the biggest danger for Arsenal tonight will be transitions.
If we commit players forward and lose the ball, Villa have enough pace to cause us problems, so our defence has to be right.
Ultimately though, we (The Arsenal) are the champions, and these are exactly the away games where you have to show that mentality.
Go there, control the game, deal with whatever Villa throw at us and bring back three points.
I’m going Aston Villa 1, Arsenal 2. Away Win.
WHO TO BE A GOONER!!! STANDARD!!! 🔴⚪️
