Football Today
·18 January 2025
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Yahoo sportsFootball Today
·18 January 2025
Arsenal will be aiming for back-to-back Premier League wins when they host Aston Villa today.
The Gunners registered a 2-1 comeback triumph over Tottenham Hotspur in midweek. They dominated proceedings and should have won by a bigger scoreline.
Manager Mikel Arteta could make a couple of changes against Unai Emery’s side today.
Formation: 4-3-3
Predicted Line-up:
David Raya made a crucial save to deny Dejan Kulusevski but was beaten by Heung-min Son due to a big deflection. The Spaniard is guaranteed to start between the sticks.
No defensive changes are on the cards. Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori are back in training, but the game could come too soon for the duo. Jurrien Timber is expected to start at right-back.
Myles Lewis-Skelly will be on the opposite flank after producing a standout performance versus Spurs. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are nailed-on starters in the heart of the defence.
Arteta could opt for a solitary change in midfield. Thomas Partey could make way for Jorginho in the number six role. The £45 million signing had a mixed performance against Spurs.
He was dribbled past on a couple of occasions and was guilty of losing possession multiple times. The midfielder also made an error, which contributed to Spurs having a shot on target.
Jorginho is likely to replace the Ghanaian. Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard could start in front of him. Further forward, Raheem Sterling may be dropped.
Sterling had a good passing accuracy against Spurs, but he kept things safe. Aside from his early counter-attacking run, he provided no goalscoring threat before his substitution.
He could make way for Gabriel Martinelli, whose pace could be key to outclassing Villa’s backline.
The Brazilian should start on the right wing. Leandro Trossard is guaranteed to keep his place on the left side of the attack following his sublime goal to beat Spurs on Wednesday night.
Kai Havertz has been in poor form leading the line but is the main striker with Gabriel Jesus sidelined. The German needs to step up with a goalscoring return.
How Arsenal could line up vs Aston Villa
Stats from Fotmob.com & Sofascore.com.