Predicted Arsenal line-up vs Aston Villa

Arsenal will be aiming to return to winning ways when they host Aston Villa in the Premier League this evening.

The Gunners are currently two points behind Manchester City for the top spot in the table and have the chance to reclaim their position by beating the Villans.

Ahead of the game, there could be multiple changes from the 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final in midweek.

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Predicted Line-up:

David Raya has been an undisputed starter in goal for the Gunners since mid-September. The Spaniard has kept 12 clean sheets in the top-flight and will be aiming for another shut-out against Unai Emery’s side.

In the backline, we anticipate at least one change from the Bayern draw. Jakub Kiwior had a tough outing at left-back and he was partly responsible for both goals conceded. Oleksandr Zinchenko replaced him at the interval and the Ukrainian could start from the off today.

Gabriel Magalhaes was not present in yesterday’s training session at the Emirates Stadium, but we still expect him to partner William Saliba at the heart of the defence. Ben White should be a nailed-on starter on the right side of the four-man backline for the Gunners.

Jorginho had a difficult game against Bayern as he struggled to cope with the pace of their attackers. We don’t see him starting three games in the space of one week. Thomas Partey could get his first start of the year at the heart of the midfield alongside Declan Rice. He could have had a late assist on Tuesday.

Martin Odegaard should continue from his advanced midfield position as always. The Norwegian was brilliant in midweek, creating five chances for his teammates. Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz should likewise be nailed-on starters from the right wing and centre-forward positions respectively.

However, there could be a change on the left wing. Gabriel Martinelli was largely ineffective against Joshua Kimmich and he could make way for Leandro Trossard, who scored a crucial equaliser for the second straight Champions League game. He was also on the scoresheet at Brighton last week.

How Arsenal could line up vs Aston Villa

Stats from Transfermarkt.com