Arsenal will have the opportunity to enact revenge on Aston Villa and assert their dominance in the Premier League title race when Unai Emery makes his return to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday evening. Villa are heading to north London, boasting a club-record streak of 11 consecutive victories across all competitions, having recently clinched a last-minute 2-1 win over Arsenal earlier this month.

Despite appearing somewhat fatigued, the Gunners have managed to secure hard-fought victories against Wolves, Everton, Crystal Palace (via penalties in the Carabao Cup), and Brighton, despite several key injuries. Defender Gabriel is vying for a starting position after being subbed in during the match against Brighton, while there’s a crucial decision to be made upfront with Viktor Gyokeres struggling to find form. We take a look at who we think will start on Tuesday…

Ryan Taylor

Much depends on the fitness of Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori. Arteta hasn’t held a pre-match press conference as he previewed the Villa game immediately after defeating Brighton, so we’re somewhat in the dark regarding whether either will feature.

However, Arteta is a bit of an enigma, which could work in Arsenal‘s favour. I’m operating under the assumption that Timber might be available, while Calafiori might not be, but if the Italian is, I believe he will start.

I’ve selected a back-four of Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Piero Hincapie with Myles Lewis-Skelly relegated to the bench. This would allow Declan Rice to shift back into midfield alongside Martin Zubimendi and Martin Odegaard.

I reckon there’s a chance Arteta will stick with the same attack he deployed against Brighton with Viktor Gyokeres spearheading the offence and Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka on the wings.

Mikel Merino could be brought on for the final 30 minutes while Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke could serve as ‘finishers’ from the bench.

Arsenal XI vs Aston Villa: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres.

Matt Maltby

It’s a crucial match, isn’t it?

Mikel Arteta understands what’s at stake, but he shouldn’t take too many significant risks either.

It seems too soon to reintroduce Gabriel from the start, and Timber must start at right-back if he’s given the all-clear from the medical team.

If not, Rice will have to fill in at right-back again – but Arteta could really do with playing the England star in his preferred position.

Rice and Zubimendi will provide stability to the Arsenal midfield, with Odegaard given the freedom to roam. His performance in the victory over Brighton was noteworthy, and Arteta should once again remove any restrictions.

Eze has experience defeating Aston Villa, having been part of the Palace team that trounced the Villains en route to their FA Cup victory last season. Position him on the left wing but allow him to drift inside, and he could potentially swap roles with Saka depending on how the match unfolds.

Gyokeres shouldn’t be in the starting line-up. He’s simply not contributing enough to the Gunners at present.

Gabriel Jesus could put pressure on the Villa defence, but I’d select Merino due to his physical presence and height, which could be key during set-pieces.

Arsenal XI vs Aston Villa: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Odegaard, Zubimendi; Saka, Merino, Eze.