Let’s be brutally honest.
Aston Villa is the reason Arsenal failed to win the Premier League title last season.
Not Manchester City.
In the final weeks of the season, there was a lot of swooning about Pep Guardiola’s mighty army and how much of a juggernaut they are. And of all that is correct.
But if the Gunners had defeated Aston Villa at the Emirates – where they were close to imperious – they would have won the title by a point.
It is instructive to note that Unai Emery’s men completed the double over Arsenal – the only team to do so last term.
In those two matches, Arsenal failed to score, while Villa scored three times.
Mikel Arteta always harps on the fine margins and revenge. And this is a chance at early redemption.
The Spaniard takes his team to the Midlands in Saturday’s late kick-off.
Both teams won their opening fixtures. Arsenal breezed to a 2-0 victory over Wolves at home, while Villa won 2-1 at West Ham.
Their fine form is a carryover from last season, where Villa finished in the final Champions League spot ahead of Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United.
So this promises to be a thrilling affair. This means at least one of these two sides will already be playing catch if Manchester City beat the newly-promoted Ipswich.
Arsenal will be desperate to right the wrongs of last season and pick up at least a point.
On their part, Villa were stubborn opponents, had an astonishing record on home soil and as a result punched well above their weight to claim a Champions League place.
Unai Emery will have his side set up in a very similar fashion to those games last season, which ended in 1-0 and 2-0 wins for his side. Expect a similar lack of goals here.
