Arsenal vs Aston Villa Preview and lineups – A fresh start

Olivier Giroud

Arsenal have had a strong pre-season, winning 5 out of 7 friendlies, including a 3-1 win over a strong Manchester City squad in Finland. Olivier Giroud seems to be in good goal scoring nick, scoring 8 times, while Walcott netted 4 times.

Aston Villa, on the other hand, have undergone a rebuilding process, after a topsy turvy first season under manager Paul Lambert. Jean Makoun, Richard Dunne and Brett Holman left the Villains, while they have signed Jores Okore (Nordsjaelland), Aleksandar Tonev (Lech Poznan), Antonio Luna (Sevilla), Nicklas Helenius (AaB) and Leandro Bacuna (Groningen), adding depth to their squad.

However, the best bit of business Villa have managed to do this summer has been to hold on to star Belgian international striker Cristian Benteke, who at one stage seemed set to leave. Benteke scored 19 Premier League goals in his debut season, drawing attention from top clubs in the country.

On to some team news then. Arsenal are suffering from a spate of injuries, that has reduced the squad to the mere surface. In defence, captain Thomas Vermaelen is out for about 5 weeks, while Nacho Monreal is out for a further 10 days. Bacary Sagna is also a doubt to start the game. Mikel Arteta suffered an injury in training and is out for 4-6 weeks, while Santi Cazorla could be rested after just returning from Ecuador after an international friendly.

Abou Diaby is perenially injured. Ryo Miyaichi is a week away from full fitness. Aaron Ramsey is also a doubt, having missed training on two days and having pulled out of the Welsh squad. Theo Walcott is also not 100% having hobbled off after England’s 3-2 win over Scotland at Wembley.

Aston Villa have only Charles N’Zogbia out of action.

Here is how I expect the two teams to line up.

Aston Villa have a completely new squad, and Arsenal should look to score the early goal and put pressure on Villa. With Cazorla being rested, I would like to see Rosicky start and provide some early running through the channels. Arsenal have plenty of pace, and should fully utilize it.

However, the Villa attack, comprising Agbonlahor and Benteke can be a handful for any defence, and Mertesacker and Koscielny have their work cut out.