Arsenal are back in action today when they travel to Villa Park to take on Aston Villa in the Premier League.
The Gunners have struggled in recent weeks, failing to win each of their last three league outings, recording just one point in the process. Their most recent match came on Wednesday when they suffered a crushing 3-1 defeat to title rivals Manchester City.
That result meant they relinquished their spot at the top of the league standings, with City now above on goal difference. Still, Mikel Arteta’s side have a game in hand on Pe Guardiola and co. - a home fixture against Everton next month.
READ MORE: Mikel Arteta gives Thomas Partey, Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Jesus update for Villa vs Arsenal
But first up is a game against former Arsenal head coach Unai Emery, who is currently Villa boss. The north Londoners secured all three points in the reverse fixture thanks to goals from Brazilian duo Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli.
However, the former is currently sidelined with a knee injury whilst the latter has struggled for form in recent weeks - failing to score in each of his last eight appearances across all competitions. Some Gunners supporters have urged Arteta to drop Martinelli today in place of January signing Leandro Trossard, who opened his Arsenal account last week against Brentford.
Elsewhere, Emile Smith Rowe will return to the matchday squad following a thigh strain, although first-choice No.6 Thomas Partey is expected to miss out due to a slight muscle problem. With all that being said, football.london takes a look at the full squad the north Londoners are expected to name for the trip to Villa.
Goalkeepers: Aaron Ramsdale, Matt Turner, Karl Hein.
Defenders: Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, Rob Holding, William Saliba, Kieran Tierney, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Lino Sousa, Jakub Kiwior.
Midfielders: Granit Xhaka, Emile Smith Rowe, Jorginho, Martin Odegaard, Fabio Vieira, Matt Smith, Amario Cozier-Duberry, Ethan Nwaneri.
Forwards: Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah, Leandro Trossard, Reiss Nelson.
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