Arsenal face Aston Villa in PL 2021/22 - Predicted line-up for the Gunners

Arsenal can take lots of positives from their recent matches and go to Villa Park for the match against Aston Villa. Mikel Arteta has expressed his disappointment over the recovery period the Gunners have been given for the match. But when many of the matches in January and February got postponed. So the following calendar was supposed to get fully packed.

Thomas Partey, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Emile Smith Rowe scored in the last meeting against the Villans. But now Villa is different and playing confidently under Steven Gerrard’s directions.

Current Form and Head-to-Head Records:

Arsenal enjoyed supremacy in the early days, but now the Villans have been giving some fight against them. After 3 consecutive losses in league meetings, Arsenal finally won against Aston Villa in Oct 2021.

After a series of losses in Oct, Aston Villa appointed Steven Gerrard as their manager, and he did turn the results around. Villa started to get points from important matches and moved up into the top half of the table. Arsenal too had a bad start to the season but Arteta’s men played beautifully and produced impressive results to get to the 4th spot.

Both teams have had their winning runs snapped by their opponents in recent matches. Both are expected to come back strong in the game. West Ham halted Villa at London stadium, while Liverpool defeated the Gunners at the Emirates. To keep their challenge alive in the league, both teams will be looking for nothing less than a win in this fixture.

It's 𝗮𝗹𝗹 in the response!

Let's get back to winning ways, Gunners ✊ pic.twitter.com/penQPfKvpk

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 18, 2022

Arsenal Predicted Line-Up Against Aston Villa

Arsenal’s recent form is a bit better than the Lions. Arteta also has a better record against teams lying beneath Arsenal in the table. But can the “same 11” used for 4 consecutive matches produce the same result again in a short period of time? Will Arteta rotate the team and deploy a different formation to tackle Aston Villa? Lets us check out the possible starting 11 for the game.

Goalkeeper:

Aaron Ramsdale (GK): He would be looking at the Liverpool goals again and again and might get some more insights to improve upon. Ramsdale performed well in the last meeting against the Villans. But Ings, Countinho, and Watkins is also a quality attacking force to contain.

Defence:

Cedric Soares (RB): Playing against “now well settled” Phillipe Coutinho will be huge ask for Cedric. He can stay and help in the defences. Change of formation would certainly help his movements in the match. Takehiro Tomiyasu’s availability situation will be cleared soon.

Gabriel Magalhaes (CB): the dependable Brazilian will start at the heart of defence as usual but the task to keep the opponents at-bay will be a huge task, especially as this will be his 3rd match in nearly 6 days period.

Ben White (CB): A Liverpool-game like performance would be great for the young Englishman. He did well in defence and his forward passing against the Reds was also impressive.

Arsenal have four players in the current England national team, more representatives than any other team. #afc pic.twitter.com/WZDeasYKu9

— afcstuff (@afcstuff) March 18, 2022

Kieran Tierney (LB): A bit important role this time around as he will be crucial to force the opponents back, with his forward moves. His connection up-front will make the game bit easier for Arsenal.

Midfield:

Granit Xhaka (LM): Former captain needs to step in again to provide energy and skill in what is expected of a “tired” young Arsenal squad. His intelligent gameplay can be the answer to break down the Lions.

Thomas Partey (CM): He is a key figure in the Arsenal line-up. Partey holds the most important role in the new formation. He will be at the centre of the field in the 4-3-3 formation and will certainly be at the centre of most of the action the Gunners can produce.

Martin Odegaard (RM): Odegaard has played on the right wing before and it worked great for the Gunners. The only question will be the amount of time he will get on the field after 2 tough and tiring games.

Attack:

Bukayo Saka (R-Attack): Saka has produced some magnificent performances for Arsenal this season. It will be interesting to see whether Arteta sticks with him in starting 11 or use fresh Nicolas Pepe from the start.

Alexandre Lacazette (ST): There is no better option for the central attacker role at the moment. Mikel Arteta has to stick to the Arsenal Captain for the main striker’s role.

Emile Smith Rowe (LM): It would be difficult to replace Gabriel Martinelli from the starting position but he also needs some breather. ESR will get a nod in the game, who can take advantage of this opportunity to add to his goal tally.

Predicted Score For Arsenal Vs Aston Villa:

After some easy runs in February, Arsenal is playing quick successive games now. This was quite expected when the matches were postponed earlier. Keeping the 4th spot in mind, the Gunners need to play their hearts out at Villa Park. We expect many goal attempts from both sides and the Gunners to emerge victorious 2-1.

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Tomiyasu Still Absent From The Squad as Cedric Starts In new Formation – Team News and Predicted Lineup | How Arsenal’s Starting XI Would be Against Aston Villa