BIRMINGHAM, England, Dec 5 : Aston Villa have proved a thorn in Arsenal's side in recent seasons but manager Mikel Arteta regards Saturday's trip to the Midlands as an opportunity, not an obstacle as his side seek to stretch their lead in the Premier League title race.

Arsenal were beaten home and away by Villa in the 2023-24 campaign - the 2-0 loss in north London in April putting a massive dent in their ultimately failed bid to dislodge Manchester City as champions.

City ended that season top by two points with the race going down to the final day, but this time Arsenal are in the ascendancy and if they beat Villa in Saturday's early kickoff, they would move eight points clear of Pep Guardiola's team and nine ahead of third-placed Villa.

Villa boss Unai Emery, whose sacking at Arsenal

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