League leaders Arsenal travel to red-hot Aston Villa in Saturday's early Premier League kickoff.
Aston Villa picked up a fourth straight victory in the league after a seven-goal thriller against Brighton away from home. The Villans were 2-0 down inside the opening 30 minutes. But they showed great resilience to turn the game on its head. Inspired by an Ollie Watkins brace, they emerged victorious after a late onslaught from the Seagulls as they held on to win 4-3. Unai Emery will be pleased by his star striker breaking his duck ahead of the all-important Arsenal clash. If Emery can inflict a defeat on his former side, the gap at the top of the table would be incredibly narrow. Their poor start to the league looks like a thing of the past now.
Aston Villa's excellent home record will clash with Arsenal's superb away record. Having played on Wednesday night, both sides will enter the clash with some tired legs. Arsenal will feel they saved their legs after returning to winning ways against Brentford. Mikel Arteta rotated his lineup, and the backups did not disappoint him. Mikel Merino impressed as the number 9 by getting an early goal. Bukayo Saka sealed the result after coming off the bench. The Bees were largely ineffective against a rotated Arsenal defence as well. However, they had two key injuries that could hurt their defensive core even more. Cristhian Mosquera, deputising for William Saliba, landed awkwardly on his leg and was replaced just before half-time. More conceringly, Declan Rice limped off in the 83rd minute with a calf issue, as fans are left in the dark over his unavailability. Arteta will be hoping to get one over his predecessor and pull further clear at the top.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal last-minute tickets: How to buy
Villa Park will be at its electric best when the league leaders visit. Get your tickets even at the last minute with StubHub.
READ MORE: Premier League 2025/26 tickets: November fixtures, prices & more
How to watch Aston Villa vs Arsenal online - TV channels & live streams
The fans in the UK can watch the game live on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate. It can be live-streamed on Discovery+. The USA Network and Universo will broadcast the game in the US, and it can be live-streamed on DirecTV Stream.
How to watch Aston Villa vs Arsenal online
Here is how you can watch Aston Villa vs Arsenal online around the world:
| Country/Region | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Canada | Fubo |
| UK | Discovery+ |
| Australia | Stan Sport |
| India | Star Sports |
| MENA | beIN Sports |
| South America | ESPN / Disney+ |
| Africa | SuperSport |
How to watch anywhere with a VPN
If you are abroad, you may need to use a virtual private network (VPN) in order to watch games using your usual streaming service. A VPN, such as NordVPN, allows you to establish a secure connection online when streaming. If you are not sure which VPN to use, check out GOAL's guide to the best VPNs for streaming sports.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal Key Matchups
Morgan Rogers vs Declan Rice: When a premium attacking midfielder goes up against an elite box-to-box midfielder, sparks are bound to fly. Rogers hasn't been in the best of form, but he is still delivering in the final third. His brace against Leeds United was an example of this. Rice will be alert to his darting runs and camp himself on the edges of both boxes to provide a clinical performance. He will be keen to be passed fit and take part in the encounter.
Lucas Digne vs Bukayo Saka: Saka delivered an excellent assist even while having a tough game against Marc Cucurella. The English winger can never be fully silenced, and Digne knows this all too well. The fullback showcased good impact in the final third this season. But on Saturday, he will be happy to tuck in with his centre-backs and prevent Saka from running in behind.
Ollie Watkins vs Piero Hincapie: Watkins enjoys making life difficult for physical centre-backs. He thrives on taking imposing defenders and rubbing salt into their wounds. This Saturday, he will take on Hincapie, who will find himself leading the Gunners' defence if Saliba fails to make it back in time. The Ecuadorian defender spent some time on the sidelines before having a run in the lineup in place of the injured Gabriel. With Saliba injured as well, he will play as the leading defender alongside Jurrien Timber.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal Prediction
Aston Villa have been a thorn in Arsenal's path recently. Especially under Emery, they always take pride in denting Arsenal's title prospects. Aston Villa's playstyle and strengths directly dovetail with Arsenal's weaknesses. Given the Gunners' missing personnel in defence, the Villans, cheered by their home support, will be buoyed to pick up a point.
GOAL'S Prediction: Aston Villa 1-1 Arsenal
Aston Villa vs Arsenal kick-off time
Villa Park will host the clash on Saturday, 06th December at 12:30 GMT / 13:30 CET / 07:30 ET.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal Team news & squads
Aston Villa vs Arsenal lineups
4-2-3-1
Formation
4-3-3
ARSAVL-Line up
AVLSubstitutes
Manager
U. Emery
ARS-Line up
ARSSubstitutes
Manager
M. Arteta
Injuries and Suspended players
Injuries and Suspensions
Injuries and Suspensions
Aston Villa team news
Emiliano Martinez pulled out of the Brighton game during the warm-up as he felt something in his back. Marco Bizot will line up between the sticks if the World Cup winner fails to return. Digne will return to the fold ahead of Ian Maatsen. Donyell Malen will be pushing for a start, given his recent goal-scoring exploits. However, Emery will be torn between the industry of John McGinn and the creativity of Youri Tilemans in the heart of the attack.
Predicted Lineups: Bizot; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Onana; Malen, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins
Arsenal team news
Arsenal's injury woes are worsening, and the Gunners fans might be getting some unwanted flashbacks. But Arteta made sure he would never be haunted by a lack of quality on the bench again. This game will be a perfect opportunity for the new signings to endear themselves to the fans and make their side genuine title contenders. Merino's sensational form in front of goal might help him keep his place ahead of the fit again Viktor Gyokeres.
Predicted Lineups: Raya; White, Timber, Hincapie, Calafiori; Rice, Zubimendi; Saka, Odegaard, Eze; Merino
Form
AVL-Form
AVLBrighton
3
-
4
Aston Villa
W
Aston Villa
1
-
0
Wolverhampton Wanderers
W
Aston Villa
2
-
1
Young Boys
W
Leeds
1
-
2
Aston Villa
W
Aston Villa
4
-
0
Bournemouth
W
- Goal Scored (Conceded)
- 13/5
- Games over 2.5 goals
- 4/5
- Both teams scored
- 3/5
ARS-Form
ARSArsenal
2
-
0
Brentford
W
Chelsea
1
-
1
Arsenal
D
Arsenal
3
-
1
Bayern Munich
W
Arsenal
4
-
1
Tottenham
W
Sunderland
2
-
2
Arsenal
D
- Goal Scored (Conceded)
- 12/5
- Games over 2.5 goals
- 3/5
- Both teams scored
- 4/5
Head-to-Head Record
AVLLast 5 matches
ARS2
Wins
1
Draw
2
Wins
Arsenal
2
-
2
Aston Villa
Aston Villa
0
-
2
Arsenal
Arsenal
0
-
2
Aston Villa
Aston Villa
1
-
0
Arsenal
Aston Villa
2
-
4
Arsenal
Goals scored
8- Games over 2.5 goals
- 2/5
- Both teams scored
- 2/5
The Last Meeting
Arsenal were pursuing Liverpool in January as only two sides emerged as true title contenders. They needed to stay perfect to have a chance of closing Liverpool down. After an edgy start, they found the go-ahead goal through Gabriel Martinelli in the 35th minute. Kai Havertz doubled their lead in the 55th minute. The Villans did not give up and got their reward just five minutes later. Youri Tielemans met a lovely Digne cross to reduce the arrears. He immediately hit the post in the 61st minute to fire a warning sign. Watkins then served the true punishment by blasting one home in the 68th minute. There were plenty of chances for both sides late in the game. Arsenal did manage to score, but it was ruled out due to a Havertz handball. The Gunners ultimately dropped two crucial points as Emery played the villain again.