Arsenal’s Premier League title aspirations face an early test as they travel to Aston Villa, a team that has proven to be a bogey side for the Gunners in recent seasons. Manchester United, meanwhile, will face a stern examination of their defense when they visit Brighton.
Arsenal’s two defeats to Villa last season played a significant role in their failure to win the league title for the first time in 20 years. The Gunners are determined to dethrone Manchester City this season, but their trip to Villa Park marks the beginning of a challenging run of fixtures.
Mikel Arteta’s men will also face north London rivals Tottenham and Manchester City in their opening five games. However, they got off to a winning start at home to Wolves, with Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz showing no signs of fatigue from their exertions at Euro 2024.
Arsenal will need to maintain that level of performance against a Villa side that also started the season with an encouraging 2-1 away win at West Ham. Villa have strengthened their squad in preparation for their first Champions League campaign since 1982/83.
Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Fulham on the opening night of the season could be interpreted in two ways. On the one hand, it was a much-needed victory for a team that finished eighth last season. On the other hand, the ease with which Fulham created chances raised concerns about United’s defensive capabilities.
A truer test of United’s credentials will come at the Amex on Saturday against a Brighton side that is flying high after a 3-0 win at Everton. The Seagulls have Kaoru Mitoma back fit and could hand a debut to new signing Georginio Rutter.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are looking to steady the ship after a chaotic summer at Stamford Bridge and an opening defeat to Manchester City. Manager Enzo Maresca has been tasked with fostering a team spirit from a squad that has been described as a “double squad” by Pep Guardiola.
Raheem Sterling has been added to the list of star names cut out from first-team training, and his squad number has been handed over to Pedro Neto. Maresca has insisted that he is not working with a “mess,” but the Blues squad continues to grow, with Joao Felix joining on a permanent deal from Atletico Madrid.
