Bruno Guimaraes is back on the bench for Arsenal as they face Aston Villa tonight.
Confidence should be high for the Gunners after they backed up their dominant Community Shield win over Manchester City with a comprehensive victory against newly-promoted Coventry to start the new Premier League season.
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£75million summer signing Guimaraes missed that match against Frank Lampard’s Championship winners due to a groin issue, having come off a week earlier in Cardiff with an ice pack strapped to his thigh.
The midfielder has not been seen training with the main group in recent days but Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has not yet ruled him out of the clash at Villa Park.
"We just managed the last few days with him [Guimaraes],” Arteta said at his pre-match press conference on Thursday.
"He's out on the pitch, he’s been in training sessions. But we need to manage the load to get to Monday in the best possible condition to be available to be selected. He's potentially available.”
Guimaraes returns here, though he is not deemed fit enough to return to the starting lineup, which is unchanged.
Myles Lewis-Skelly continues to impress in midfield, while Kai Havertz has looked sharp leading the line and combining with the likes of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.
Ezri Konsa is on the bench and in contention for a debut against his former club.
Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard; Saka, Havertz, Tzolis
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Hincapie, Konsa, Zubimendi, Guimaraes, Merino, Eze, Madueke, Gyokeres
Injured: Timber, Saliba
Time and date: 8pm BST on Monday August 31, 2026
Venue: Villa Park
How to watch: Sky Sports
Odds sourced from licensed online bookmakers. Check out the latest free bet offers ahead of the game.
