Dec 4 (Reuters) - Arsenal’s mounting injury problems pose a challenge for manager Mikel Arteta ahead of Saturday’s Premier League trip to third-placed Aston Villa, who are flying high on a six-match winning streak across all competitions.
Declan Rice and Cristhian Mosquera both picked up knocks during Wednesday's 2-0 win over Brentford, adding to a growing list of absentees for the league leaders that already includes centre backs Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba.
Arsenal hold a five-point cushion over second-placed Manchester City, but their defensive depth will be tested against a Villa side brimming with confidence.
Arteta’s men have conceded a league-low seven goals this season, yet with key defenders missing, they could be exposed and a frustrated Arteta said the congested schedule made it difficult for players to recover.
"Now we play Wednesday night and we have to play Saturday morning as well... we've never had such a schedule at every level, not only in the Premier League, but every competition internationally as well," Arteta said on Wednesday.
Villa's winning streak included Wednesday's spirited fightback from two goals down to snatch a 4-3 victory at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Villa manager Unai Emery was animated on the sidelines, spurring his side on as striker Ollie Watkins roared back to form with a brace, his first goals for the club since September.
"The players reacted and continued with our game plan to never give up. We kept the mentality and the resilience, really fantastic," said Emery, who was replaced by Arteta as Arsenal manager in 2019.
Watkins, who has scored six goals against Arsenal in 10 league meetings, netted the second goal when Emery's Villa beat Arsenal 2-0 in April 2024, derailing their title challenge.
CITY HOST STUBBORN SUNDERLAND
Man City will hope to stay on Arsenal's coat-tails with a home win over Sunderland on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola, who is chasing a seventh league title as Man City manager, fired a warning at Arsenal last month as Arteta's side opened up a gap at the top.
"Nobody wins the title in early November. You can lose it, but nobody wins it," he said.
City have scored a league-high 32 goals this season, with striker Erling Haaland leading the scoring charts with 15.
The Norway forward made history on Tuesday, becoming the fastest player to reach 100 Premier League goals during a 5-4 win at Fulham.
But it was a far from comfortable evening for City, who conceded three goals after taking a 5-1 lead.
"In the end it was a question of character, resilience and defence. (Our players) did what they had to do," Guardiola said.
City may be in for another tricky test against sixth-placed Sunderland, who won at Chelsea and drew with Arsenal before holding champions Liverpool to a 1-1 draw on Thursday.
Promoted Sunderland have lost only one of their last seven matches.
Elsewhere, stuttering champions Liverpool visit Leeds United on Saturday and fourth-placed Chelsea travel to Bournemouth.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)
