Aston Villa chase a first win of the season against Arsenal in a August Bank Holiday Monday clash in the 2026-27 Premier League.
Victory would lift Villa up to 12th in the table, whilst Arsenal can go top if win by two goals or more.
Team News
Joao Gomes is suspended for Villa’s next three league matches after he was red carded in their opening 4-0 loss at Brighton.
New signings, Leon Goretzka and Nicolas Jackson are available for their debuts, with Jackson having been registered by midday on Friday despite his arrival having not been confirmed until the evening.
Tammy Abraham (adductor) is a doubt but Brian Madjo (ankle), Johan Manzambi (knee), Amadou Onana (ACL) and Leon Bailey (muscle) remain absent.
Arsenal could have midfielder, Bruno Guimaraes available after he missed their 3-0 win over Coventry with a thigh injury.
Jurrien Timber (groin) and William Saliba (back) are both ruled out.
When is Kick-Off?
Villa host Arsenal at Villa Park on Bank Holiday Monday 31 August at 8pm BST, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Aston Villa have lost two of their last six meetings against Arsenal (W3, D1, L2).
- Arsenal have won three of their last five visits to Villa (W3, L2).
- Villa have won three of their last four league matches at home (W3, L1).
- Arsenal have lost just one of their last 11 top-flight away matches (W7, D3, L1).
Prediction
Having been totally swept aside by Brighton with no shots on target after a solid start, Villa really need to just reset because this is a season of transition and their immediate focus has to be on clicking as a group, but their defending has to be more solid than it was at the AMEX Stadium.
Arsenal meanwhile looked absolutely unstoppable once they got in control against Coventry and could of easily won by a wider margin, so I expect more of the same relentless attacking intensity and composure but they will need to be wary that Villa still shouldn’t be underestimated.
In fact I expect this to be an one-sided contest because Villa just don’t look like they have the quality to bounce back just yet, whereas Arsenal should climb to the summit with a routine result.
Prediction: Aston Villa 0-3 Arsenal