Welcome to the Unai Emery Cup! I guess you could call it the Emiliano Martinez Cup as well. Whenever Arsenal and Aston Villa get together- that is exactly what is going on. For the next round of Premier League fixtures, Gunners at Villans is probably the headliner fixture.
After all, it features last year’s runner-up visiting last season’s fourth place finisher.
Arsenal at Aston Villa FC FYIs
Kick: Sat. Aug. 24, 5:30pm, Villa Park Birmingham, UK
Preview Material: Team News for Both Sides Starting XI Predictions
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Form: Arsenal W Aston Villa FC W
PL Standing: Arsenal 2nd, 3 pts Aston Villa FC 5th, 3 pts
Google Result Probability: Arsenal 54% Aston Villa FC 22% Draw 24%
In this match-up of two Champions League participants, it’s very important to get off on the right foot. So what is the strongest side possible to go with, from kick-off? We’re thinking this is what Emery, and the man who replaced him, Mikel Arteta, will go with.
Starting XI Predictions
Arsenal FC
David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber; Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard; Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz
Aston Villa
Emi Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Ian Maatsen; Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans; John McGinn, Morgan Rogers, Leon Bailey; Ollie Watkins.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.