Arsenal will look to continue their push for a top-six finish as they travel to Villa Park to face Aston Villa on Tuesday. The Gunners are coming on the back of two back to back wins over Liverpool and Manchester City, reaching the final of the FA Cup in the process. They’ll look to continue that winning momentum against a struggling Villa side, who are looking to survive relegation.
Predicted 3-4-3 Arsenal Lineup vs Aston Villa
Defence
Shkodran Mustafi picked up a serious-looking knock in the win over Manchester City on the weekend and is unlikely to feature in this game. His likely absence should pave the way for Rob Holding to return to the side, having performed really well against Liverpool in midweek.
Holding will partner David Luiz and Kieran Tierney, who has integrated himself perfectly into the central defensive role. Sokratis is an option, but unlikely to start given his lack of game-time this year while Pablo Mari and Calum Chambers are out injured.
Emiliano Martinez has been arguably the best goalkeeper in England since the restart. Filling in for the shoes of the injured Bernd Leno, the Argentine will look to preserve yet another clean sheet on Tuesday.
Midfield
Dani Ceballos almost played the whole 90 minutes against Manchester City in a night where the Spaniard was addressed to do defensive chores. He is likely to receive a breather in this one, allowing Lucas Torreira to return to the side.
The Uruguayan is set to form the double-pivot alongside Granit Xhaka, whose leadership, composure and work-ethic have added a new dimension in the Arsenal midfield. He could once again play a crucial role as the Gunners look to dominate Aston Villa on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, there might be changes in the wingback slots. Cedric Soares is expected to come in at the expense of Hector Bellerin while Ainsley Maitland-Niles could make way for Bukayo Saka on the opposite flank.
Attack
Eddie Nketiah is still suspended for the Aston Villa game, meaning Arteta has no option but to persist with the in-form Alexandre Lacazette leading the Arsenal attack.
Mesut Ozil is an option for the Gunners this weekend. But, the German is unlikely to feature amid uncertain future at the Emirates. That means we can pretty much expect an unchanged attack, with Nicolas Pepe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang operating in the wider offensive zones.
