Preview: Arsenal's Expected Lineup Vs. Aston Villa

Arsenal enter their match versus Aston Villa on Saturday two points off the leaders Chelsea. They have lost their two previous fixtures to Tottenham Hotspur and Braga.

Arsenal face an Aston Villa side who currently sit 13th in the table. They have been going through an injury crisis recently, with Carlos Cuellar, Emile Heskey, Nigel Reo-Coker, Marc Albrighton, Fabian Delph, Stilian Petrov and Steve Sidwell all expected to miss the fixture against Arsenal.

Robert Pires, Aston Villa's recent signing, has the opportunity to reacquaint himself with his former team.

Arsenal also have injury issues of their own, with Cesc Fabragas, the team's token talisman, out for at least three weeks with a pulled hamstring sustained against Braga. Abou Diaby, Emmanuel Eboue, Emmanuel Frimpong and Thomas Vermaelen will all be joining Fabregas on the bench with injuries of their own.

Here is Arsenal's expected 4-2-3-1 lineup against Aston Villa.

Goalkeeper

Manuel Almunia has now returned from injury, but he appears to now be relegated to the bench. Lukasz Fabianski looks set to retain the starting spot between the sticks, at least until his next gaffe.

Defense

Gael Clichy is struggling with a bad back, but is expected to start. Kieran Gibbs will fill in for Clichy should the left fullback's problems persist.

Bacary Sagna will start at right fullback. Sagna has been having a decent season, looking dangerous going forward while fulfilling his defensive duties. He needs to work on the consistency of his crosses and alleviating the occasional mental error from his game.

Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squallaci will pair the center of defense. With Vermaelen still out injured and Johan Djourou's unconvincing displays this year, these two summer signings are Arsenal's best option.

Holding Midfielders

Alex Song was Arsenal's standout player last year. He will start as a holding midfielder with Jack Wilshere, who has been this year's revelation, at his side.

Both players have been solid performers throughout the season. As a result, this has been the least problematic area of the field for Arsenal. As long as Emmanuel Frimpong is out, these two have little or no competition as long as Arsene continues to favor a formation with two holding midfielders.

Attacking Midfielders

Expect Andrei Arshavin and Theo Walcott to fill in on either side of Samir Nasri, who is filling the linchpin role with Fabregas out injured.

Arshavin has had an offseason, but he is still one of Arsenal's most talented players. The Russian can change the course of a game in an instant. Despite his slump, Arsene is wise to keep him in the lineup.

Nasri has proved to be a shrewd signing and is now becoming an integral component of France's rejuvenated international side.

Walcott's production is reminiscent of Rooney from a couple years back—few will debate his potency in front of net, but he needs to begin finding the back of the net on a consistent basis in order to take his game to the next level.

Striker

Marouane Chamakh is expected to start up front with Robin van Persie on the bench. The Moraccan has had a solid first season with the Gunners, scoring nine goals in 19 games. His competition with Van Persie and Bendtner is the stiffest of any position in the Gunner's starting 11.

Expect Van Persie to replace him in the second half.