ARSENAL are heading to the Midlands on Saturday with the goal of increasing their lead in the Premier League.
Manager Mikel Arteta sees the match against Aston Villa as an opportunity rather than a challenge. Villa have been a tough opponent for Arsenal in recent years, having beaten them both at home and away last season, which contributed to Arsenal's narrow miss in the title race.
Last season, Arsenal lost 2-0 to Villa at the Emirates, a result that proved costly as Manchester City finished two points ahead to win the title on the final day.
This time around, Arsenal are in a stronger position. A win on Saturday would put them eight points ahead of City and nine points ahead of Villa, giving them a solid lead.
Under former Arsenal manager Unai Emery, Villa have climbed into the top four and are building momentum.
Their recent 4-3 victory over Brighton was a thrilling win that brought their league tally to 25 points from their last 10 matches, the best in the league. Emery's leadership has made Villa one of the most consistent teams in the competition.
Despite the challenge, Arteta praised Villa's quality and Emery's impact, but he remains confident in his own team.
He said the match is a major chance to strengthen Arsenal's title hopes, emphasizing that the team approaches tough games with a focus on opportunity, not fear.
Villa also drew 2-2 against Arsenal in the middle of last season, and there are signs that Emery is even more motivated to beat the club that decided he wasn't the right fit.
"I don't know.
I think when you look at Unai, his career, his motivation level, everywhere there's been an impact that he's done, it's always been remarkable," Arteta said.
"That's a question for him.
But in my opinion, he never needs anything extra. I think he's good enough in himself."
Arsenal extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 18 games with a 2-0 home win over Brentford.
However, they faced injury concerns as defender Cristhian Mosquera left the game with an ankle injury and Declan Rice also had to leave early.
Arteta said Mosquera's injury was "more complicated" and would have more information on Friday, while he remained vague about Rice's status.
"Every hour is going to be very important to see the availability of the players," Arteta said.
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