Arsenal vs. Aston Villa: Team News, Livestream, TV Info, Ticket News
Fans of Arsenal and Aston Villa have probably been waiting for the end of the Premier League campaign for some time.
The Gunners have had to witness the collapse of their title challenge, while Villa supporters have endured the agony of relegation.
However, Arsenal at least still have something to play for in this final fixture. Arsene Wenger's side will guarantee third place and automatic qualification for the UEFA Champions League with a point, while a win could even see them leapfrog rivals Tottenham Hotspur into second place if other results go their way.
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Date: Sunday, May 15
Time: 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET
Location: Emirates Stadium, London
Television coverage: Syfy (U.S. only)
Streaming: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S. only)
Ticket Information
For ticket information on all Premier League games, visit the official site or go to the ticket page on the home club's official website. Secondary ticket information for Arsenal can be found here.
Form
Arsenal
D (1-1) vs. Crystal Palace
W (2-0) vs. West Bromwich Albion
D (0-0) vs. Sunderland
W (1-0) vs. Norwich City
D (2-2) vs. Manchester City
Aston Villa
L (1-2) vs. Bournemouth
L (1-0) vs. Manchester United
L (2-4) vs. Southampton
L (3-2) vs. Watford
D (0-0) vs. Newcastle United
Despite seemingly ending the season on a diminuendo, Arsenal are actually nine games unbeaten in the Premier League.
Arsenal have won their last four matches against Aston Villa and could win a fifth consecutive tie between the sides for the first time in their history.
Villa have won just three of the last 34 league meetings between the two sides. However, all of those victories have come at the Emirates Stadium. Villa will be keen to produce another shock away from home this weekend.
The Managers
This may be the final game of the season, but Arsenal boss Wenger insists that his men must approach the match with the right attitude. He told Arsenal Player:
"There’s a big job to do because there’s a difference between finishing third and fourth. We are guaranteed to be in the top four and part of that is because of the job we did at Manchester City.
Now we can still finish second, we can still strengthen our position in third, and that definitely gives us a good potential in the Champions League. We want to achieve that and we want to finish well at home as well in front of our crowd.
There is not a big difference between second and third, apart from prestige, but that counts as well. We finished third last year so [if Arsenal finish second] we would have moved one place forward. It’s minor but no matter what it is, we want to do as well as we can.
"
Aston Villa, on the other hand, have nothing to play for but pride. However, they'd love to give their supporters something to celebrate at the end of a disastrous campaign.
Caretaker boss Eric Black told the Press Association (h/t Sky Sports): "We need to be disciplined and show an immense amount of energy. We must be switched on. The game means something to Arsenal—and it certainly should mean something to us too. It's a big challenge this weekend but one we are looking forward to."
Villa will be determined to enjoy their last Premier League fixture for at least a year.
Team News
Arsenal
This will be the last time that three members of the Arsenal squad are available to play at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini and Tomas Rosicky are all out of contract in the summer and will be bidding farewell to the club on Sunday.
Speaking to the club website, Wenger said: "Mikel Arteta is the captain of the club and has been a great leader. Tomas Rosicky has been with us for 10 years and I think everybody loves him as well. Mathieu Flamini has been an extremely strong leader on the pitch and off the pitch. We lose three big personalities."
Wenger might not be able to afford them a place in the starting lineup, but he'll be eager to include them on the bench to give them a chance of a final run-out late in the game.
Wenger will also want to factor in Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla, who are both back to full fitness and eager to get some game time under their belts before UEFA Euro 2016.
Predicted Arsenal XI (4-2-3-1): Petr Cech; Hector Bellerin, Gabriel Paulista, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal; Mohamed Elneny, Jack Wilshere; Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Alex Iwobi; Olivier Giroud.
Aston Villa
Full-back Aly Cissokho returns to the squad after suspension. He is likely to come into the Villa XI at the expense of 19-year-old Irishman Kevin Toner.
Villa will probably persist with the front two of Scott Sinclair and Jordan Ayew. There are few quicker strikers in the Premier League, so they'll be looking to hurt Arsenal with speedy counter-attacks.
Predicted Aston Villa XI (5-3-2): Mark Bunn; Alan Hutton, Leandro Bacuna, Joleon Lescott, Ciaran Clark, Aly Cissokho; Ashley Westwood, Carlos Sanchez, Idrissa Gueye; Scott Sinclair, Jordan Ayew.
Players to watch
Arsenal: Jack Wilshere
After coming on for the injured Danny Welbeck as a substitute against Manchester City, Wilshere could be in line to start his first and only match of the 2016/17 season.
Wenger certainly believes he is ready, telling reporters: "He can start. He played [66] minutes in a very intense game. I believe he can start, I haven’t decided yet but there is no problem as to why he couldn’t start. I consider him a player who is ready to play.
If selected, Wilshere must strike a careful balance. He will be desperate to prove his fitness to Roy Hodgson but will not want to suffer a similar fate to Welbeck, who faces nine months out after knee surgery, via the Guardian.
Aston Villa: Joleon Lescott
Lescott played at the Emirates Stadium in the final game of last season, enduring a nightmare performance as Theo Walcott scored a hat-trick.
If Villa are to stand any chance of getting a result at the Emirates Stadium, they'll need a vastly improved display from their experienced defender.
James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.
