August 21st 2024.
Last weekend, Bukayo Saka made an impressive start to the season by scoring a goal for Arsenal. This week, the team faces an early challenge as they head to Aston Villa to test their Premier League title credentials. In their first game of the season, the Gunners secured a 2-0 victory over Wolves with goals from Kai Havertz and Saka.
Fortunately, Arsenal has a relatively healthy squad as they prepare for their trip to Villa Park. Jurrien Timber, who missed their final two pre-season matches, returned to action in the opening weekend as a substitute against Wolves. However, Takehiro Tomiyasu will still be out for a few weeks due to a knee injury suffered during the team's pre-season tour of the US. Additionally, Kieran Tierney is still recovering from a hamstring injury he sustained during Euro 2024.
Meanwhile, Fabio Vieira has been dealing with a hip injury but could potentially make a comeback this weekend. Manager Mikel Arteta may opt for an unchanged starting lineup against Unai Emery's team, but there is also the possibility of Leandro Trossard coming in to replace Gabriel Martinelli on the left.
Havertz is expected to keep his place in the team, while summer signing Riccardo Calafiori could make his debut after being named among the substitutes last Saturday. Arsenal's regular center-half partnership of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães were also recognized this week as they were named in the PFA Team of the Season alongside David Raya, Declan Rice, and Martin Odegaard.
As for the upcoming match, Arsenal fans may have to wait a bit longer for the highly anticipated signing of Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad. If the deal does not progress within the next 24 hours, Merino will not be available to play this weekend.
In terms of the predicted lineup, we can expect to see Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Odegaard, Partey, Rice, Saka, Havertz, and Martinelli take to the field. The game kicks off at 5:30pm on Saturday and will be broadcasted live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event.
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