Arsenal suffered defeats both home and away to Villa in the 2023/24 season — the 2-0 loss at home in April seriously damaging their ultimately unsuccessful attempt to dethrone Manchester City as champions.
City finished that season two points ahead, with the title decided on the last day, but this season Arsenal are leading, and a win over Villa in Saturday’s early kickoff would put them eight points clear of Pep Guardiola’s side and nine points ahead of third-placed Villa.
Villa manager Unai Emery, whose dismissal at Arsenal led to Arteta’s hiring, has propelled Villa into the top four, with a league-best 25 points from their last 10 matches following Wednesday’s 4-3 victory at Brighton.
"Considering their recent performances, the way they have been playing and winning games, they are definitely a team in excellent form, and we are aware of that," Arteta told the press.
"We also know the manager and the outstanding work he has done there. So we understand the challenge tomorrow, but we always see it as an opportunity."
Villa also managed a 2-2 draw at Arsenal midway through last season, and there is speculation that Emery is even more driven when facing the club that chose to part ways with him.
"I’m not sure. When you look at Unai’s career and his motivation, wherever he has been, he has made a remarkable impact," Arteta commented.
"That’s a question for him. But in my view, he never needs anything extra. He is strong enough on his own."
Arsenal extended their unbeaten streak in all competitions to 18 on Wednesday with a 2-0 home victory over Brentford, although they faced injury worries when defender Cristhian Mosquera left the field with an ankle injury, and Declan Rice also did not finish the match after being substituted late on.
Arteta described Mosquera’s injury as ‘more complicated’ and said he would have more information on Friday, while he was less forthcoming about Rice’s condition.
"Every hour counts to assess the players’ availability," Arteta stated.
There was positive news regarding defender William Saliba and attacker Leandro Trossard, however. "It’s just a matter of days for both of them, definitely," Arteta revealed.
The Spaniard expressed concerns about the tight schedule, with Arsenal facing Villa less than 72 hours after their game against Brentford, though Villa are in a similar situation.
"All I can say is that whenever it’s possible to give players an extra day or hours to reach their full potential, we should do it," he added. "That’s it. We are prepared for tomorrow’s match, definitely."
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