The upcoming match between Arsenal and Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday promises to be an exciting affair. While both teams have had their ups and downs this season, there are several key facts and figures to consider when assessing their strengths and weaknesses.
In recent years, Arsenal has enjoyed a great deal of success against Aston Villa, winning five of their last six home games against the Midlands side. Their only loss was a 3-0 defeat in November 2020, but they have been in impressive form since then, winning 10 of their last 11 Premier League games while scoring at least twice in each victory. They have only conceded four goals during this period, with three of them coming at Emirates Stadium.
On the other hand, Aston Villa has been unbeaten in their last nine Premier League away games against London teams, with six wins and three draws. This is their longest undefeated streak in the capital in their league history. The Villans have caught their opponents offside 142 times this season, the highest among all teams, and have also been flagged offside the second least after Manchester City.
Bukayo Saka has been instrumental in Arsenal’s recent successes, being involved in 11 goals in his last 11 league appearances. He has scored nine goals and provided two assists during that timeframe, putting him close to becoming the first English player to score 15 goals for Arsenal since Ian Wright did so back in 1996-97. Ollie Watkins has also been impressive for Aston Villa, being involved in 11 goals over his past ten league games (with nine goals scored and two assists). His 18 goals this season make him the second-highest scorer for Aston Villa in a Premier League campaign behind only Jack Grealish’s record of 34 goals back in 2020-21.
