Arsenal v Aston Villa live: Premier League team news and line-ups as Declan Rice the latest Gunners injury fear before clash of title contenders

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said the club are prepared to ease their injury problems by “actively looking” at signing new players when the transfer window reopens later this week.

Arteta could be without as many as four defenders for his side’s pivotal Premier League match against Aston Villa at the Emirates on Tuesday.

Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera were all unavailable for Arsenal’s nervy win over Brighton on Saturday, which kept them two points clear of title rivals Manchester City at the top of the table.

Aston Villa will likely reward Ollie Watkins with a start following his brace at Stamford Bridge, though Emery must come up with alternatives for Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara, who both triggered suspensions after being booked against the Blues. Tyrone Mings, Pau Torres and Ross Barkley remain out, while Evann Guessand is at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Predicted line-up: Martinez; Bogarde, Konsa, Lindelof, Maatsen; Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Buendia, Rogers; Watkins.

Mikel Arteta’s defensive injury crisis was exacerbated on the weekend, with Jurrien Timber missing out against Brighton after “landing awkwardly” before Riccardo Calafiori sustained an injury in the warm-up.

Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera have also been absent throughout the festive period, while there are now rumours that Declan Rice – who was forced to cover at right-back last time out – has now also been added to the injury list and will miss tonight’s clash.

However, a return to the starting XI could be imminent for Gabriel after the Brazilian featured off the bench against the Seagulls.

Predicted line-up: Raya; Hincapie, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Zubimendi, Odegaard, Eze; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard

Viewers in the UK will be able to watch the match live on Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage starting at 6:30pm. It will also be available to stream on Sky Go.

The Premier League meeting between Arsenal and Aston Villa kicks off at 8:15pm on Tuesday 30 December at the Emirates Stadium in London.

Unai Emery’s side, who endured a stuttered start to the 2025/26 campaign, have gone beyond all expectations as they find themselves third in the table going into the new year, sitting seven points above fourth-placed Liverpool after coming from behind to beat Chelsea on Saturday.

Boasting an astonishing 11-game win streak in all competitions, they could go level on points with leaders Arsenal with a win at the Emirates, who have begun to show jitters in unconvincing wins over Brighton and Wolves in the past month.

The Gunners, meanwhile, will be out for revenge against Villa, who nabbed a stoppage-time win in the West Midlands less than four weeks ago in the reverse fixture.