Aston Villa travel to league leaders Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, looking to get their stuttering top-four aspirations back on track.
Unai Emery’s side are looking for their first win since the 2-0 Villa Park triumph over Wolverhampton Wanderers on 30 March.
A loss to Manchester City and a draw with Brentford have followed. Tottenham have leapfrogged the Villans into the top four as a result.
Emery’s men can’t afford any significant slip-ups between now and the end of the season.
The trip to Arsenal looks daunting, but Villa have already had success against Mikel Arteta’s side this season.
£2m Aston Villa star could tear Arsenal apart in new position
John McGinn’s 7th-minute goal was the difference between the two sides at Villa Park in December.
The hosts were good value for their win and will be looking for something similar when the two sides meet on Sunday.
McGinn, 29, was deployed in a more advanced role and Emery could look to replicate his tactics tomorrow.
Per FotMob, the Scot managed two shots as well as his winning goal. Furthermore, he created two big chances and attempted six dribbles.
The 29-year-old offers something completely different in an advanced role and could build on his goal against Lille on Tuesday evening.
Aston Villa clearly missed John McGinn’s presence
During his time out of the side, the Villans clearly lacked the Scot’s presence.
His energy and dynamism drive Emery’s side forward, and the Spaniard has been full of praise for his captain this season.
The Spaniard hasn’t been afraid to experiment with altering McGinn’s position and even noted his versatility early into the season.
After the 4-0 win over Everton, he said: “He can play the right side, left side, play inside. He’s very important for us. Last week he didn’t play well, but today was amazing.”
Villa will undoubtedly need their captain to step up if they’re to get anything against the Gunners on Sunday.
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