Aston Villa could not have had a worse start to the 2026/27 Premier League season.
They were torn apart by at the Amex Stadium, with Brighton & Hove Albion needing just 31 minutes to put the game beyond doubt.
A Victor Lindelof own goal and a debut red card for Joao Gomes summed up a disastrous afternoon for Villa, who landed in the relegation zone after losing 4-0 on opening day.
It’s too early to say whether the heavy defeat points to deeper problems following the departures of several high-profile players including Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Ezri Konsa and Lucas Digne.
However, Villa have sprung into action in the transfer market.
Leon Goretzka has arrived to add experience and quality to midfield, while Nicolas Jackson will take over as Ollie Watkins’ successor in attack.
Both players will be keen to help Villa recover from their opening-day thrashing, but their next challenge doesn’t get any bigger as they host Arsenal.
They have a decent record against the Premier League champions at Villa Park.
Villa have won their last three home league games against champions, beating Liverpool last season after previous victories over Manchester City in the 2023/24 and 2024/25.
Fans will also remember Emiliano Buendia’s dramatic late winner against Arsenal last season.
That result was Villa’s fourth victory in seven home league meetings with the Gunners, although Arsenal responded with a 4-1 thrashing in the reverse fixture.
How Aston Villa could line up
After kicking off the campaign with a 4-0 thrashing at Brighton, Villa have moved quickly to bolster key areas of their decimated squad.
One of the new faces is goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, who was brought in to replace Emiliano Martinez. The Japanese goalie could be handed his debut against Arsenal later today.
He’ll have a much-changed Villa backline ahead of him with Matteo Ruggeri and Matty Cash lining up on either side of Pau Torres and Victor Lindelof.
Lamare Bogarde and Boubacar Kamara should anchor the midfield while Ross Barkley joins Emiliano Buendia and John McGinn in providing support for new striker Nicolas Jackson.
The Senegalese striker completed a sensational reunion with Emery in the past few days and will be keen to prove he’s worth every bit of the £65m Villa paid to sign him from Chelsea.
Predicted Aston Villa starting XI
(4-2-3-1): Suzuki; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Ruggeri; Bogarde, Kamara; Buendia, Barkley, McGinn; Jackson.
