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Arsenal welcome Aston Villa to the Emirates on Tuesday night with the Premier League title race finely poised heading into the final days of 2025.
The Gunners returned to the summit on Saturday with a gritty 2-1 home win over Brighton, responding immediately after Manchester City briefly moved top earlier in the day.
It was not their most fluent display, but it stretched their league-winning run to three matches and underlined their ability to grind out results under pressure.
Villa arrive in North London riding one of the most remarkable runs in the club’s history. Unai Emery’s side have now won eight consecutive Premier League games and 11 in all competitions, a sequence that has lifted them firmly into the title picture after a sluggish start to the campaign.
This will be the second meeting between the sides in under four weeks, following Villa’s 2-1 victory at Villa Park earlier this month.
That result is part of a recent trend that has seen Arsenal take just four points from the last five league meetings between the two clubs.
Arsenal remain formidable at home, though. They have won nine of their last 10 Premier League games at the Emirates, including each of the last six, and will be determined to end the year top of the table by extending that run.
How to watch Arsenal vs Aston Villa
Arsenal vs Aston Villa kicks off at 20:15 (UK) on Tuesday night at the Emirates Stadium. The match will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage beginning at 18:30.
Arsenal team news
Mikel Arteta is expected to rotate his side amid a congested festive schedule, particularly after Declan Rice was required to deputise at right-back against Brighton.
Defensive absences continue to be a concern. Jurrien Timber was out against Brighton, while Riccardo Calafiori was ruled out shortly before kick-off. Cristhian Mosquera and Ben White are also unavailable, limiting Arsenal’s options across the back line.
The return of Gabriel Magalhaes from the vench was a timely boost, though it remains to be seen whether the centre-back is ready to start after his spell out.
Viktor Gyokeres has struggled for consistency, while Gabriel Martinelli impressed from the bench last time out. Martin Odegaard should retain his place after opening the scoring against Brighton.
Arsenal expected lineup
(4-3-3) Raya; Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly; Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Gyokeres, Eze
Aston Villa team news
Villa are forced into changes after Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara both picked up one-match suspensions following bookings at Stamford Bridge.
Amadou Onana is expected to return to the midfield, while Lamare Bogarde is the likely replacement at right-back in Cash’s absence.
Further back, Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres remain unavailable, along with Ross Barkley. Ivory Coast forward Evann Guessand is away on Africa Cup of Nations duty.
Ollie Watkins is expected to lead the line after making a decisive impact from the bench against Chelsea, where his second-half brace turned the game around.
Aston Villa expected lineup
(4-2-3-1) Martinez; Bogarde, Konsa, Lindelof, Maatsen; Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Buendia, Rogers; Watkins
Arsenal vs Aston Villa stats
– Arsenal have won nine of their last 10 Premier League home games, including each of the last six.
– Arsenal have lost three of their last five Premier League meetings with Villa.
– Arsenal have won their final league game in four of the last five calendar years.
– Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last two away league matches at the Emirates, winning once and drawing once.
– Villa have won eight straight Premier League matches and 11 in all competitions.
– Villa have recovered 18 points from losing positions this season, the most in the league.
– Villa have won just two of their final league games in the last 13 years.
Arsenal vs Aston Villa predictions
Both sides arrive with momentum, resilience, and a growing habit of winning tight games, which points toward another finely balanced contest.
Arsenal’s home form remains a major strength, but they have been far from convincing in recent weeks and continue to deal with defensive disruption. Villa, meanwhile, are brimming with confidence and have shown repeatedly that they can respond when under pressure.
The visitors also have recent history on their side at the Emirates and arrive knowing a positive result would pull them level on points with Arsenal.
Given the form, the stakes, and the way both teams have approached big games lately, this has all the ingredients of a back-and-forth encounter.
A draw looks the right call here, with both teams likely to have spells on top and neither giving much ground late on.
