Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has outwitted Mikel Arteta on multiple occasions previously and he’ll be looking to continue that trend on Saturday evening.
Aston Villa host Arsenal in a mouth-watering Premier League clash this weekend as both sides will be aiming to build on their opening day victories.
The Villans struck late on through Jhon Duran to overcome West Ham while the Gunners comfortably dispatched Wolves 2-0 thanks to Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz.
On paper, battling against the title challengers is an incredibly tough test but Unai Emery’s record against Mikel Arteta will fill supporters with confidence.
Emery has won three of his five meetings against Arteta, including two victories last term, as Villa won 1-0 at home and 2-0 at the Emirates.
The Spaniard will want to tactically outsmart his opposite number once more and one attacking player could be key.
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Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey can exploit Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko
Leon Bailey is one of the most exciting wingers to watch in the Premier League and last season, he was transformed under Emery.
The jet-heeled Jamaican plundered 12 goals and 13 assists in all competitions, as he terrorised defences on the right flank.
Bailey can strike fear into opposing full-backs with his searing pace and directness in possession. Arsenal left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko found that out last term, as the Ukraine international struggled to live with the Villa winger.
He assisted the only goal of the game when he exploited space down the right as Zinchenko was caught out of position. Bailey breezed into the box and cut the ball back to John McGinn, who made no mistake with his finish.
The ‘amazing’ winger can use his incredible attributes to discover further joy in pockets of space down the right, with Arteta’s No.35 known for his struggles against the league’s best wingers.
Last season, he was branded as a ‘liability’ by Gary Neville as he was given the run around by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Bailey can achieve similar destruction on Saturday evening.
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Aston Villa vs Arsenal key battles
For Villa to achieve a positive result against Arsenal, Bailey will likely have some involvement in an attacking sense, having scored at the Emirates last term.
Aside from the Jamaican’s threat, though, Amadou Onana’s battle with the likes of Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard will be crucial, along with Ollie Watkins testing himself against William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.
Emery’s men will also be wary of their world-class attacking trio of Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, who will need their defence and Emi Martinez on top form to keep the Gunners at bay.
An exciting clash between two attacking sides is brewing at Villa Park, with the hosts aiming to make it three successive wins over the visitors.
