Arsenal’s quest to finally land a Premier League title continues with a trip to Aston Villa.
What could possibly go wrong – an early Saturday kick-off, Villa Park, Unai Emery.
In recent years, Emery has toppled the title charge of his former club.
Two seasons ago, Villa beat Arsenal home and way without conceding. Last term, although Mikel Arteta’s men won in the Midlands, they were held to a 2-2 draw at the Emirates.
Both teams will face each other twice this December.
Interestingly, Villa go into the game sitting in third place, six points behind Arsenal.
So, a win for the hosts would see them go three points within the Gunners.
It has been a whirlwind campaign for Emery’s men. They took just three points and scored only one goal in their opening five league games of the season.
But have since won eight of the past nine games to shoot up the table.
Arsenal have been a more consistent team this campaign and are widely regarded as favourites to become champions in May.
This is one of the tricky ties they have to navigate to stay on track.
Victory against Villa will see Arsenal open an eight-point gap at the top, landing a significant psychological blow before Manchester City host Sunderland.
Despite the injuries they have picked up, this is a game they must leave with something, or else they risk their season unraveling.