Talk about a crunch clash! When Arsenal FC hosts Aston Villa on Tuesday, it’s first place versus third, with just three points separating the two teams. This is massive, to say the least, so let’s run down the team news for this one, starting with Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber.
Neither one will be available here, but both should be back, at least in theory, for the next match after this.
Festive Fixtures FYIs
Arsenal vs Aston Villa
Kickoff: Tue. Dec 30, 8:15 pm, Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Preview Content: Team News for Both Sides Starting XI Predictions
Google Result Probability: Arsenal win 66% Draw 21% Aston Villa win 13%
Team News for Both Sides
Let’s start with Kai Havertz, who is nearing a return from his long-term knee injury.
“I think it will be a matter of days, not weeks,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said on Boxing Day.
“Let’s see in the next step how he responds. He’s a player that we missed a lot, a player that brings the team into a different dimension. So, I’m really happy to have him back very soon.”
As for Timber, who suffered an unspecified injury in the League Cup win over Crystal Palace on Tuesday, Arteta gave the following update yesterday:
“In the last part of the [Palace] game [on Tuesday], he felt something and could not carry on. So, he’s out.”
Meanwhile Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori, Max Dowman and Cristhian Mosquera all remain out as longer term injury absentees.
Shifting gears to Villa, the situation remains the same.
Ross Barkley, Pau Torres and Tyrone Mings remain out injured. Meanwhile Evan Guessand is away at the Africa Cup of Nations.
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 USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.