Arsenal will come into Sunday's match in buoyant mood having clinched a place in the last 16 of the Champions League. The Gunners defied all odds and recorded a 3-0 win over Olympiacos to advance to the next round.
Olivier Giroud impressed in that match scoring a hat-trick, the third of which was a penalty. The Frenchman has come under intense criticism but Wenger has hailed him as one of the best strikers in the league.
"Look at his record, he has special qualities that are difficult to find," Wenger said.
"We want him to be efficient but where he has improved is his link play with others. He always wants to improve, he has a positive, strong mentality and he's come back in a very strong way.
"You have to cope in our game, you are questioned and in his job, centre-forward, you are questioned even more.
"I think he's in that league [of top strikers] because he plays for one of the best clubs in Europe and he scores goals.
Arsenal will now be hoping to keep things interesting at the top and can finish this week at the top of the table should the other results go in their favour. Aston Villa on the other hand are rock bottom in the league having failed to record a victory in their last five matches.
Remi Garde will be without Micah Richards who is likely to miss with a knee injury but Leandro Bacuna and Rudy Gestede are expected to return.
Arsenal have no new injury concerns but will continue to be without Mikel Arteta. Santi Cazorla, Francis Coquelin and Alexis Sanchez.
Match Facts
- Aston Villa have not recorded a victory in 14 league outings.
- Arsenal have suffered defeats in just two of their last 14 away league matches.
Which channel is broadcasting Aston Villa vs Arsenal on TV or Online?
- In USA at 08:30 EST: on NBC Sports Live Extra, SiriusXM FC, NBC UNIVERSO, NBCSN, Westwood One Sports
- In Canada at 08:30 EST: on RDS 2, TSN2
- In UK at 14:30 BST: on NOW TV UK, Sky Sports 1/HD UK, Sky Go UK, SKY GO Extra, TalkSport Radio UK
SuperSport 3 Africa will be broadcasting the match live in the African countries whereas those on Australia will be able to catch the action on Fox Sports 4 Australia. The Premier League outing between Aston Villa and Arsenal can also be followed internationally on TalkSport Radio World and Arsenal Player. For a comprehensive view of global broadcast listings, visit the Aston Villa vs Arsenal match page.
*NOTE: Live broadcast data is subject to change.
Official lineups
Aston Villa: Guzan, Hutton, Okore, Lescott, Bacuna, Gana, Veretout, Sanchez, Sinclar, Ayew, Gestede
Substitutes: Bunn, Clark, Westwood, Traore, Gill, Lyden, Grealish
Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal, Ramsey, Flamini, Ozil, Campbell, Giroud, Walcott.
Substitutes: Ospina, Chambers, Gibbs, Debuchy, Gabriel, Ox, Iwobi.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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