Arsenal at the Emirates and they're not winning the League

I'm not convinced Arsenal will win the League. I don't think they're going to choke, but I do think they will lose more than Liverpool and Manchester City between now and the end of the season. I can't see Arteta winning it basically and writing this now is risky.

And this also isn't me writing that I think we'll beat them tomorrow. That said, it's not impossible that the team in fifth place beats the team top of the table. But it would be tough and I suspect most would see it as a surprise.

And that is mostly down to our form of late, not Arsenal. 

But lets go back to my first paragraph. I don't think Arsenal will win the League and I think they will lose more than Liverpool and Manchester. We could win tomorrow.

And I'm writing this as Newcastle have just scored a second against Spurs and if Spurs don't get anything from this game today, there is an incentive for us tomorrow. An even bigger one if Newcastle get one or two more and that is possible with Newcastle at home. 

Anyway, this is the match post for tomorrow, but the day has started off well. We should hope it continues.

Match facts from the BBC

Head-to-head

• Arsenal have won five of their last six Premier League home games against Aston Villa. The exception in that run was a 3-0 defeat in November 2020.
• The Villans won December's reverse fixture 1-0 courtesy of a goal by John McGinn.
• Villa are looking to complete their third Premier League double over Arsenal, having done so in 1992-93 and 2020-21.

Arsenal

• Arsenal have won 10 of their last 11 Premier League games, scoring at least twice in each victory. The Gunners have conceded just four goals across these 11 games, though three of those have been at the Emirates Stadium.
• They have taken 31 points out of a possible 33 in their 11 league games in 2024, only dropping points in a 0-0 draw at Manchester City on 31 March.
• The Londoners have kept 14 Premier League clean sheets this season, at least five more than any other club (prior to the latest round of fixtures). They have not kept more in a single campaign since recording 18 in 2015-16.
• Bukayo Saka has been involved in 11 goals in his last 11 Premier League appearances, scoring nine and assisting two. One more goal would see him become the first Englishman to score 15 in a league campaign for Arsenal since Ian Wright netted 23 in 1996-97.
• Leandro Trossard has eight league goals this season, his joint most in a single campaign. Four of these have been as a substitute, with only Olivier Giroud ever netting more from the bench for Arsenal in a season (the Frenchman netted six such goals in 2016-17).

Aston Villa

• Aston Villa have equalled their total number of Premier League victories last season and are one short of their final points total in 2022-23.
• They are unbeaten in their last nine league away games against London sides (W6, D3), having lost eight of their previous nine before this. It is Villa's longest run without defeat in the capital in their league history.
• The Villans were beaten 4-1 in their last away game at Manchester City but haven't lost back-to-back Premier League fixtures on the road since May 2023.
• They have conceded at least twice in a 10-minute period five times in their last seven league matches, including three goals in the space of nine minutes against Brentford last Saturday.
• Ollie Watkins has 18 Premier League goals this season, one short of matching the club record set by Christian Benteke in 2012-13.