Right now, Aston Villa is really living the dream. Villa is currently three points off the top of the Premier League table, having flirted with the relegation zone early in the season and finishing seventh last year.
This team was struggling in the middle of the table, but under Unai Emery’s leadership, it is now capable of competing with the best in English football.
On Wednesday night, an amazing 1-0 victory over Manchester City—the treble winners—was evidence of this. Leon Bailey’s late goal sealed the three points for the Villans, who had only two shots on goal against Pep Guardiola’s well-oiled machine.
But Emery’s old team, Arsenal, is visiting the city this weekend, so Villa cannot afford to rest on their laurels. This is the lineup that the Spanish coach is expected to start against the Gunners.
Usually, a goalie who records a clean sheet against Man City leaves the game battered and bruised after making save after save.
It’s interesting that during midweek, this wasn’t the case. City had two chances, both of which Emiliano Martinez preserved. Even with the shots having xG values of 0.17 and 0.58, respectively—quite high—the Argentine goalie performed admirably in keeping the opposition out. Martinez will therefore undoubtedly start at home against his former team.
Lucas Digne is playing some of his best football of his career under Emery, despite spending several seasons in the Premier League. According to Sofascore, the Frenchman has averaged a 7.03 match rating just this season.
In Wednesday’s matchup with the European champions, Digne won 80% of his ground duels and 67% of his aerial duels. He also created one chance for Villa and was the home team’s top crosser into the penalty area. The 30-year-old will be essential in stopping the explosive Bukayo Saka and should start again.
Pau Torres was outstanding once more when City visited Villa Park, just as he had been in Villa’s 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur two weeks prior. He completed seven passes into the final third, won all five of his aerial duels, and made five ball recoveries, displaying his center-back skills both offensively and defensively.
One of Emery’s first choices on the roster, the £35 million summer acquisition will not be lacking against Arsenal, whom he assisted in eliminating from the Europa League on the way to winning the tournament in 2021.
One player from Villa’s most recent starting lineup who might be benched is Diego Carlos. The only other Aston Villa player to score below 7.0 on FotMob was the Brazilian.
With a disastrous performance on Sunday, the £26 million center-half helped Emery’s team barely escape with a draw at Bournemouth. Carlos’ performance at the Vitality Stadium was characterized by writer Jacob Tanswell of The Athletic as “sloppy.”
