An emphatic win over a title rival answered many of the questions that had been bubbling up around Mikel Arteta's side

Arsenal transfer news updates on Antoine Semenyo, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Breno Bidon, Ethan Nwaneri, Gabriel Jesus, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ruben Neves and Scott McTominay

Preview the matchup between Arsenal FC and Aston Villa with predictions, odds, over/under, betting lines and more.

The news ahead of kick-off that Declan Rice had been ruled out with a knee injury was a major blow for Arsenal. When a player as influential as Rice is out there is an obvious danger of falling into confirmation bias, assuming any faults are down to their absence.

Arsenal fans have made their feelings clear about Emiliano Martinez since his departure to Aston Villa in 2020

The major new worry at the Emirates as 2025 drew to a close surrounded a knee issue picked up by Declan Rice. Rumours about the influential England midfielder being out ahead of the Villa game proved to be true, with Rice missing out on the matchday squad entirely, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be back for Arsenal’s first game of 2026.

The EA Sports FC 26 Team of the Week 16 squad will be released this week, replacing the EA Sports FC 26 TOTW 15 currently available in packs for Ultimate Team.