Arsenal clash will provide first real look at Emery's new-look Villa
31.08.26, 13:02 Updated 31.08.26, 13:02
Michael Plant
In recent times, Arsenal at home has come to represent a barometer of Aston Villa’s ascent.
Seven times the Gunners have travelled to Villa Park since Dean Smith’s side regained their top-flight status in 2019, with Villa earning an impressive four wins and three defeats.
In two of the last three seasons, en route to securing a Champions League place, Unai Emery has masterminded victories over his former club. This will always be a significant fixture for the Spaniard.
When Emiliano Buendia swept the ball beyond David Raya in December to secure a 2-1 win, it elicited a genuine sense that Villa could challenge for the Premier League title. Rarely has the Holte End’s roar been quite so impassioned. Two years earlier, a 1-0 win over Arsenal, just three days after swotting Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City aside, underlined that this Villa was a serious force.
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Michael Plant Freelance reporter. Nearly a decade's experience in the media industry and a former Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool club correspondent. A Villa fan from birth, Michael was born in Birmingham but grew up in Belfast.