Arsenal Primed For Emery Reunion As Manchester City Fight To End Slump

Arsenal's grip on the Premier League's top spot will be under threat from their old boss Unai Emery when the leaders travel to surging Aston Villa on Saturday. If the Gunners slip up, Liverpool will seize pole position with a win against Crystal Palace, while reeling Manchester City aim to get back on track at Luton. Let's have a look at three talking points ahead of this weekend's action:

Emery has a point to prove

When Unai Emery arrived at Aston Villa in October 2022, his new team were languishing just three points above the relegation zone.

Now, they sit third in the table ahead of a seismic showdown against leaders Arsenal that would have seemed impossible during the dark days before Emery's transformative appointment.

Villa's 1-0 win against Manchester City on Wednesday was the club's most significant result for years, showcasing the impressive work done by Emery to revive a moribund club and infusing his players with belief they can do something special this season.

It is fitting that the latest test of Emery's revolution comes against Arsenal, who sacked him in 2019 midway through a second troubled season in north London.

City manager Pep Guardiola labelled Villa as title contenders on Wednesday after Emery's 50th match in charge served to underline his remarkable impact.

"I can come back in my mind and think how we were when we started this process," Emery said. "We lost against Leicester and Arsenal at home. We couldn't concede eight goals in two matches like we did.

"It was a key moment when we reacted in a meeting with the players, focusing more our idea and our style, building and being very demanding in it. The players, they reacted very well."

No panic for slumping City

John Stones has urged Manchester