Arsenal's trip to Villa Park is arguably the biggest game of their season so far. Even more so than the top of the table clash against Manchester City on Wednesday or the vital win over their red neighbours two weeks earlier.
Such is the timing of the blip in results for Mikel Arteta's men they now need to nip it in the bud and return to winning ways as quickly as possible. More importantly than simply the three points available could be psychological damage done in the past fortnight.
Having scored twice against United, Eddie Nketiah is now being questioned following two missed chances against Pep Guardiola's side while Gabriel Martinelli's form is under the microscope. The fact that Thomas Partey is yet to play in a side that has been defeated this season is also worth raising.
