Aston Villa

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith talking to BBC MOTD: "First half we got dominated physically. I can take the second half. I don't expect us to get dominated physically though. You can't give teams in the Premier League a head start.

"We knew Arsenal would start quickly but we allowed them to control the first half.

"I am confused about the penalty. We spoke at length after the lower contact frivolous penalties. I have seen it once and can't work out if he touches the ball first or the man. If we are looking at a a penalty that long maybe they aren't given.

"I am still confused then. If we don't go to VAR, we are walking off the pitch for half-time. But he didn't, so the penalty is saved but how is he allowed to put the rebound in?"

Alexandre Lacazette makes his first Premier League start since April.

Bukayo Saka is fit to start despite being injured in Monday's 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.

Arsenal make three changes from that game, with Lacazette, Nuno Tavares and Albert Sambi Lokonga replacing Kieran Tierney, Nicolas Pepe and Martin Odegaard.

Arsenal: Ramsdale, White, Gabriel, Tomiyasu, Tavares, Partey, Sambi Lokonga, Smith Rowe, Saka, Aubameyang, Lacazette. Subs: Leno, Odegaard, Maitland-Niles, Holding, Soares, Pepe, Elneny, Kolasinac, Martinelli.

Aston Villa are unchanged from their 3-2 defeat by Wolves.

Matty Cash has recovered from a dead leg suffered in that game.

Leon Bailey is on the bench after recovering from a thigh injury.

Aston Villa: Martinez, Konsa, Mings, Tuanzebe, Targett, Cash, Luiz, McGinn, Buendia, Watkins, Ings.Subs: Steer, Sanson, Young, Nakamba, El Ghazi, Hause, Bailey, Archer, Ramsey.

Mark Lawrenson takes on Elena Cole and Haydn Craven, stars of football drama Jamie Johnson, for the latest round of Premier League predictions.

Lawro's prediction: 2-1

Both these teams are in mid-table for a reason - there are some positives about the way they have started the season, but there are ways to get at them too.

Aston Villa suffered a late collapse against Wolves last time out, while Arsenal scraped a draw with Crystal Palace on Monday in a game that said more about where they are at the moment than their recent run of three straight wins did.

The Gunners probably thought they had turned the corner after their poor start to the season but I don't think that is the case. I'm going with them to win this one, but that is mainly down to them having home advantage - it is going to be another close one.

Elena's prediction: Arsenal were a bit dodgy at the start of the season while Aston Villa have been more good than bad. This is going to be a draw. 1-1

Haydn's prediction: Arsenal have picked up and are on a bit of a roll at the moment. 1-0

Find out how Lawro, Elena and Haydn think the rest of this week's fixtures will go

Arsenal will assess Bukayo Saka, who was taken off against Crystal Palace on Monday night after a heavy challenge by James McArthur.

Manager Mikel Arteta says he has fitness concerns about "two or three" unnamed players.

Wingers Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore are both available for Aston Villa after recovering from thigh injuries.

Matty Cash has overcome the dead leg that prompted his substitution during the defeat by Wolves last week.

Who makes your Arsenal team?

Pick and share your Villa XI here

Wolves came back to beat Aston Villa 3-2 at Villa Park in the latest round of Premier League fixtures - but who were the top fantasy football performers from the match?

The bonus points were shared between players from both sides:

• John McGinn (3)

• Ruben Neves (2)

• Danny Ings (1)

So which Villa and Wolves players - if any - should be making it into your team for gameweek nine? Don't forget this week's deadline is 18:30 BST on Friday before Arsenal face Aston Villa.

Read Alistair Bruce-Ball's fantasy football tips to find out

And listen to the Fantasy 606 podcast on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal host Aston Villa in the Premier League this weekend - but what happened when the two teams last met in the top flight?

Dean Smith's Villa completed a first top-flight double over Arsenal for 28 years with an early first-half goal all they needed.

Gunners' goalkeeper Mat Ryan conceded 74 seconds into his debut as Villa followed up a 3-0 win at Emirates Stadium in November 2020 with a narrow 1-0 victory at Villa Park.

Bertrand Traore pounced on a mistake by Cedric Soares before Ollie Watkins scored with a shot that deflected off Rob Holding.

Ryan, who started in place of suspended first-choice keeper Bernd Leno, later produced a good save to deny Traore.

Villa keeper Emi Martinez frustrated his former club when the Argentina stopper made an excellent save to keep out Granit Xhaka's free-kick.

Villa moved up to eighth in the Premier League while Arsenal's defeat left them 10th.

Image source, PA Media

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith says he will not give himself the credit for what he believes has been "progression" at the club during his three years in charge.

Smith, 50, took charge of Villa on 10 October 2018, when the club were 14th in the Championship.

He now says the club have amassed a playing squad capable of finishing in the top half of the Premier League.

“It’s been a progression for the football club," said Smith.

"I’m not going to just pat myself on the back for that because we’ve had unbelievable backing from the owners and the support from above, including the sporting directors and CEO.

“You look at our playing squad now and it’s a playing squad that should finish in the top half of this league."

Villa currently sit in 11th place in the Premier League and host Arsenal on Friday.

In his pre-match news conference, Smith said he was "starting to get a fully fit squad again" and confirmed Matty Cash, Keinan Davis, Bertrand Traore and Leon Bailey are all available after overcoming injuries.

You can read what Smith and other Premier League managers had to say on Thursday in our live page

• Arsenal had won seven of their nine Premier League games on a Friday before the beginning of last season (drawn two). Since then, however, the Gunners have lost each of their last two such fixtures at home to Everton (1-0) and away to Brentford (2-0) on the opening day this season.

• Of the 12 Premier League sides to have featured at least 10 times in the league on a Friday, only Leicester (one from 12) and Spurs (two from 11) have a lower win ratio in such fixtures than Aston Villa (two from 10), beating Spurs 4-1 in December 1997 and Everton 2-0 in August 2019.

• Villa boss Dean Smith has won 75% of his Premier League meetings with Arsenal (three wins from four matches) – of all managers to have faced the Gunners at least four times in the competition, only Pep Guardiola has a better win rate against them (91%).

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has been speaking to the media before Friday's trip to Arsenal.

Here are the key lines:

• Defender Matty Cash and striker Keinan Davis have shaken off injuries and return to the squad;

• Bertrand Traore and Leon Bailey are both back in training after weeks on the sidelines and will be part of the squad, though Smith says there is a need to "build up their fitness";

• Villa did not "deserve" to lose against Wolves last weekend. Smith says sometimes a "randomness" in football plays a part and that he was pleased with the display despite his side giving away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2;

• He is proud of the "progression" the club has made after passing his third anniversary as manager;

• Villa can "take some heart" from recent performances as they get ready to face Arsenal.

Villa have two wins from their last five league games and sit 11th in the Premier League, while Arsenal are eighth and unbeaten in their last five.

Read more on what Smith had to say and follow all of Thursday's news conferences

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith is due to speak to the media at about 09:30 BST on Thursday.

Catch up with all the key lines from his news conference on this page later.

Follow Thursday's news conferences in our live page

• Arsenal – who faced Aston Villa in the first ever competitive game at the Emirates Stadium – have lost four of their past 10 home league games against the Villans (won six). The Gunners have only lost more league games at their new ground against Man City (five) and Chelsea (six).

• Villa have won their past three Premier League meetings with Arsenal, as many as they had in their previous 36 matches against them in the competition (won three, drawn nine, lost 24). They last recorded four consecutive league victories against the Gunners in September 1962.

• Each of the past nine Premier League meetings between the sides at the Emirates has seen at least three goals scored. The only specific fixture to see a longer such run in the competition is Manchester City at home to Newcastle – 11 times between 2007 and 2020.

Aston Villa forward Anwar El Ghazi has attracted interest from Roma, and the Midlands club will let the 26-year-old Netherlands international leave for £18m. (Football Insider), external

Meanwhile, Villa will need to move quickly to sign River Plate's Julian Alvarez as Serie A side AC Milan are also interested in the 21-year-old Argentina forward. (Calciomercato - in Italian), external

Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Aston Villa visit Arsenal in the latest round of Premier League fixtures on Friday, but who will make it into Dean Smith's starting XI?

You'll be able to pick - and share on social media - your own line-up for every Premier League game throughout the campaign.

It's up to you how to approach it - you could go for the team you WANT the boss to pick or the one you THINK he will.

Either way, it's time to choose your Villa team to face Arsenal

There are seven live commentaries on BBC Radio 5 Live over the next week - including three Champions League fixtures.

• Club Bruges v Man City (Tuesday, 19 October, 17:45 BST)

• Atletico Madrid v Liverpool (Tuesday, 19 October, 20:00 BST)

• Man Utd v Atalanta (Wednesday, 20 October, 20:00 BST)

• Arsenal v Aston Villa (Friday, 22 October, 20:00 BST)

• Everton v Watford (Saturday, 23 October, 15:00 BST)

• West Ham v Tottenham (Sunday, 24 October, 14:00 BST)

• Man Utd v Liverpool (Sunday, 24 October, 16:30 BST)