Aston Villa host Premier League champions Arsenal at Villa Park on Monday in one of the early-season highlights of the English top flight. Arsenal enter the match with strong momentum after opening their title defence with a 3-0 victory over Coventry City. Mikel Arteta’s side had also defeated Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield, underlining their status as early contenders. Villa, however, have had a difficult start. Unai Emery’s side were beaten 4-0 by Brighton in their opening league match after conceding four goals in the first 31 minutes. They also lost to Paris Saint-Germain in

Aston Villa host Premier League champions Arsenal at Villa Park on Monday in one of the early-season highlights of the English top flight. Arsenal enter the match with strong momentum after opening their title defence with a 3-0 victory over Coventry City. Mikel Arteta’s side had also defeated Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield, underlining their status as early contenders. Villa, however, have had a difficult start. Unai Emery’s side were beaten 4-0 by Brighton in their opening league match after conceding four goals in the first 31 minutes. They also lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup. The hosts have undergone major changes during the transfer window, with several key players leaving the club. Ollie Watkins has joined Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal, while Ezri Konsa moved to Arsenal. Nicolas Jackson has arrived from Chelsea as Watkins’ replacement. Arsenal could hand Konsa a debut against his former club, although competition for places remains strong. William Saliba and Jurrien Timber are unavailable, while Bruno Guimaraes could return from a minor groin problem. The Gunners are also linked with Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez as they consider further attacking reinforcements before the transfer window closes. Arsenal won the last meeting 4-1, while Villa won 2-1 at Villa Park in the corresponding fixture last season. With Arsenal looking confident and Villa rebuilding their squad, the visitors are expected to start as favourites. Opta gives Arsenal a 63 percent chance of victory, compared with 16 percent for Villa.

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