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Aston Villa logo
Premier League
Dec 13, 2015 at 1.30pm UK
 
Arsenal logo

0-2

FT(HT: 0-2)
Giroud (8' pen.), Ramsey (38')

Team News: Aston Villa, Arsenal unchanged for Premier League showdown

Aston Villa and Arsenal both name unchanged sides for this afternoon's Premier League clash at Villa Park.

Aston Villa and Arsenal have both named an unchanged starting lineup for this afternoon's Premier League clash at Villa Park.

The Gunners head into the match looking to reclaim top spot in the table, having slipped two points behind new leaders Manchester City on Saturday.

An impressive three-goal victory over Olympiacos in midweek ensured that Arsenal will remain in the Champions League post-Christmas, but rather than rest certain key players following the quick turnaround in games, Arsene Wenger has opted to stick with a winning formula.

That means Mesut Ozil retaining his place in midfield, while Theo Walcott also starts just off lone striker Olivier Giroud fresh on the back of the Frenchman's hat-trick in Athens.

Villa picked up a point away at Southampton eight days ago in their last outing, with Remi Garde deciding to go with the same side for the visit of his former team.

Rudy Gestede will give the Villans a big focal point up top, and support will provided by Jordan Ayew, Scott Sinclair and Carlos Sanchez for the Premier League strugglers.

There is also a place in the squad for Jack Grealish, who has been left out for the past couple of games, but he has to settle for a place among the subs.

Aston Villa: Guzan; Hutton, Okore, Lescott, Bacuna; Gana, Veretout; Sanchez, Sinclair, Ayew; Gestede
Subs: Bunn, Clark, Westwood, Traore, Gil, Lyden, Grealish

Arsenal: Cech; Bellerin, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal; Flamini, Ramsey; Campbell, Ozil, Walcott; Giroud
Subs: Ospina, Debuchy, Gabriel, Gibbs, Chambers, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Iwobi

Listen to what the Sports Mole team had to say about the game below:

Follow all the action in the West Midlands with Sports Mole's live text coverage right here.

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Manager Arsene Wenger of Arsenal celebrates after Olivier Giroud of Arsenal scored the third goal and his hat-trick during the UEFA Champions League Group F match between Olympiacos FC and Arsenal FC at Karaiskakis Stadium on December 9, 2015 in Piraeus,
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool18143145172845
2Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest1911442619737
3Arsenal18106235161936
4Chelsea19105438231535
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle1995532211132
6Manchester CityMan City199463226631
7Bournemouth198652923630
8Fulham197842825329
9Aston Villa198562831-329
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton196942928127
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1973941281324
12Brentford187383232024
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham196582335-1223
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd196492126-522
15Crystal Palace194872027-720
16Everton183871524-917
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1944113142-1116
18Ipswich TownIpswich1936101833-1515
19Leicester CityLeicester1935112242-2014
20Southampton1913151239-276


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