Did you know?
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins netted twice at Arsenal in their 3-0 Premier League win earlier this season. Only Didier Drogba has ever scored at least two goals in consecutive PL matches against the Gunners, doing so for Chelsea in 2009/10.
Villa haven’t completed a PL double over Arsenal since the competition's inaugural season in 1992/93, when they won 1-0 on each occasion.
Arsenal are seeking to avoid losing three straight PL matches against Villa for the first time since November 1993, when they lost their first three matches against them in the competition. The Gunners have failed to score in the last two meetings.
Nicolas Pepe has scored in each of his last three PL away matches for Arsenal, having netted in just two of his first 18 on the road. The last player to score in four consecutive away fixtures for the club was Olivier Giroud between September and November 2015.
Match officials
Referee: Chris Kavanagh. Assistants: Daniel Cook, Constantine Hatzidakis. Fourth official: Darren England. VAR: David Coote. Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis.