Aston Villa v Arsenal team news: Trossard in for Martinelli

Arsenal are hoping to end a run of three Premier League games without a win as they face Aston Villa in the Gameweek 24 curtain-raiser.

Kick-off at Villa Park is at 12:30 GMT.

For the first time this season, rotation is now a threat with the long-time (but now deposed) league leaders.

Hitherto regular starter Ben White was dropped on Wednesday and now it’s Gabriel Martinelli‘s turn to warm the bench, with the Brazilian winger failing to start a Premier League game for the first time in 2022/23.

Leandro Trossard replaces Martinelli for the Gunners, while White immediately regains his place at the expense of Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Emile Smith Rowe is available again and among the substitutes, just to add to the medium-term worry.

While Fantasy Premier League (FPL) interest mostly centres around the visitors, Leon Bailey‘s benching is noteworthy given that Aston Villa play in Blank Gameweeks 25, 28 and 32 and are about to come back onto the Fantasy radar.

He is one of five players who make way from Unai Emery’s Gameweek 23 starting XI, as Bailey and Ashley Young, Calum Chambers, Lucas Digne and Jacob Ramsey all drop to the bench,

Matty Cash, a fit-again Tyrone Mings, Alex Moreno, John McGinn and Philippe Coutinho are all recalled.

GAMEWEEK 24 LINE-UPS

Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Cash, Mings, Konsa, Moreno, McGinn, Kamara, Luiz, Buendia, Coutinho, Watkins

Subs: Sinisalo, Traore, Chambers, Young, Digne, Bailey, Dendoncker, Ramsey, Duran

Arsenal XI: Ramsdale, White,Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Odegaard, Jorginho, Xhaka, Saka, Nketiah, Trossard

Subs: Turner, Tierney, Smith Rowe, Martinelli, Kiwior, Holding, Tomiyasu, Vieira, Nelson

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