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Not to mention that in the intervening period, goalkeeper Emi Martinez has joined Chelsea, whilst Ollie Watkins looks to be making a move to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal, and Tammy Abraham is seemingly on the verge of joining Ipswich Town.
New signings could debut at Villa Park
The good news in terms of transfers is that Leon Goreztka has signed on a free, and the deal for Nicolas Jackson was done in time for this match, so the former Chelsea man is likely to make his debut at Villa Park.
Emery will certainly be hoping for a change in fortunes as Villa have lost four in a row, taking into account the UEFA Super Cup game against PSG and pre-season friendlies against Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayern Munich.
The Villans did beat Arsenal at Villa Park last season, of course, when Emi Buendia fired home the winner with the last kick of the game to spark crazy scenes in the stands.
In fact, Villa have won four of their seven home games against the Gunners since returning to the Premier League in 2019, which is more than they had in the previous 24 home fixtures (three).
Villa have beaten the reigning champions in the last three seasons
Arsenal being the reigning champions won't faze the hosts either, as they've won the last three home matches against the previous season's league winners (Manchester City 2023/24 and 2024/25, Liverpool 2025/26), which is as many as they'd managed in their previous 28 seasons (W3, D10, L15).
Villa Park is a happy hunting ground for the North Londoners though, as Arsenal have won 15 times there, more than at any other stadium in their Premier League history.
The Gunners have also won their last four opening away games to an EPL campaign, but interestingly have never done so on five consecutive occasions.
Mikel Arteta, in charge of his 250th Premier League game, is likely to be encouraged by the fact that the Villans have failed to score in five of their last six matches to be played in August.
Arteta looking to add to his impressive win rate
In fact, taking into account Emery's own time in North London, the Villa manager has lost eight of the 16 matches that his teams have played during the eighth month of the year.
Though the Midlanders haven't lost their opening two games of a Premier League season since 2019/20, and not since 2002/03 have they not scored in either of the first two matches, Arteta will be looking to add to his own impressive 60.2% win rate from his games in charge.
Only Jurgen Klopp (62.2%), Sir Alex Ferguson (65.2%) and Pep Guardiola (70.8%) have a better win percentage of those managers that have overseen 250+ Premier League games.
A 3-0 opening-day victory over Coventry was the best way for the Gunners to begin their 2026/27 campaign, too, with captain Martin Odegaard on the scoresheet.
The Norwegian's goal meant that he's already matched his total from 2025/26, though he's not managed to score in consecutive matches since May 2023.
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Madueke to start after excellent Coventry cameo?
In Noni Madueke, Arsenal had a player who created more chances than anyone else on the pitch against the Sky Blues (four), despite him not being subbed on by Arteta until the 68th minute of the match.
Whether that cameo will ensure he earns a starting spot at Villa Park will be seen in due course, though two players who definitely won't play any part for the visitors are William Saliba and Jurrien Timber. New signing Bruno Guimaraes will face a late fitness test after picking up a knock.
Villa are struggling with injuries themselves, with Amadou Onana, Johan Manzambi, Brian Madjo and Leon Bailey out.
Watkins and Abraham won't play any part, and may have completed their transfers out by kick-off in any event, whilst Joao Gomes is suspended after being red-carded in the Brighton defeat.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
