Match preview, stats, line-ups and key info for the Serie A showdown at Villa Park 🏟️
Today, 6 December 2025, seven matches of Matchday 15 in the Premier League will be played. Here is the full list of today’s fixtures with kick-off times in CET:
13:30 Aston Villa vs Arsenal
16:00 Manchester City vs Sunderland
16:00 Bournemouth vs Chelsea
16:00 Everton vs Nottingham Forest
16:00 Tottenham vs Brentford
16:00 Newcastle vs Burnley
18:30 Leeds United vs Liverpool
In this article on TotalSportNews.com you will find all the key information about Aston Villa vs Arsenal, including form, head-to-head record, probable line-ups, kick-off time and the refereeing team appointed for this match.
At Villa Park, the Villans host league leaders Arsenal in the lunchtime kick-off. In the midweek round, Aston Villa came back from two goals down at Brighton, scoring four times and winning 4-3. Arsenal recorded their fourth consecutive home win in the Premier League by beating Brentford 2-0.
Arteta’s Gunners five points clear of Guardiola’s City
After the win over Brentford, Arsenal restored their five-point lead over Manchester City. Mikel Arteta’s side have already collected 10 victories, drawing only 3 times and losing just once — more than three months ago, on 31 August against the Reds (Liverpool vs Arsenal 1-0).
Villans surprisingly third in the table
With the 4-3 win at Brighton’s Amex Stadium and Chelsea’s simultaneous defeat against Leeds United, Aston Villa, the Birmingham side, have moved above the Blues in the table and now sit third, just one point behind Manchester City. It was Aston Villa’s fourth consecutive Premier League victory:
9/11/2025 Aston Villa 4-0 Bournemouth
23/11/2025 Leeds United 1-2 Aston Villa
30/11/2025 Aston Villa 1-0 Wolverhampton
3/12/2025 Brighton 3-4 Aston Villa
Injured and doubtful players
For Aston Villa, goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is doubtful for this match. The Argentine World Cup winner pulled out shortly before the Brighton game due to a back problem. If he does not make it, Dutch keeper Marco Bizot will start. Midfielder Ross Barkley and centre-back Tyrone Mings are both out.
Arsenal will probably have to do without centre-back Mosquera. His absence adds to that of Gabriel Magalhães. German international Kai Havertz is also unavailable, while William Saliba and Leandro Trossard are doubtful.
Riccardo Calafiori: when the defender leads the army
Richard I was King of England from 1189 to 1199 and has been known for centuries as Richard the Lionheart for his courage and military audacity. Riccardo Calafiori, defender of Arsenal, can certainly be described as courageous too: capable of protecting his team from opposition attacks and just as capable of leading his teammates forward into attack.
Born in Rome on 19 May 2002 and raised in Roma youth academy, Riccardo Calafiori signed his first professional contract in 2018. He made his Serie A debut in August 2020, collecting 10 league appearances. After a very brief spell at Genoa, he moved to Basel in Switzerland for the 2022/23 season. There, he began to play with greater continuity as a central defender, making 26 league appearances.
In 2023 Calafiori returned to Italy, signing for Bologna. With the Rossoblù he played 30 Serie A matches in the 2023/24 season, scoring 2 goals and also providing numerous contributions in the attacking phase, showing the value of his left foot.
The real turning point, however, came in the summer of 2024 after an excellent European Championship with the Italian national team: Arsenal FC made his signing official with a long-term contract, investing around €40–45 million.
Calafiori made his debut for the Gunners on 24 August 2024. In the 2024/25 season he earned minutes both in the Premier League and in the Champions League. In the match against Manchester City on 22 September, in his first start, he scored his first Premier League goal: a shot from outside the box that sealed a 2-2 draw.
Later, on 25 January 2025, he scored the winning goal away to Wolverhampton. A few months after that, on 4 March, came his first European goal in Arsenal’s stunning 7-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.
Calafiori’s strengths include his physical presence – at 1.88 metres tall he is effective in aerial duels, both in defence and on attacking set pieces – his clean left foot, his versatility, as he can play both as a left-back and as a centre-back, and finally his mobility and ability to build from the back.
Calafiori has excellent ball progression, good reading of passing lanes and a natural tendency to push forward when the team attacks. In modern contexts like Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, these qualities are fundamental.
Calafiori has represented Italy at various youth levels and in 2024 he made his debut for the senior national team. His presence at Euro 2024 and his performances there gave him major international visibility. His run and play that led to Italy’s last-second goal against Croatia was superb.
At just under 24 years of age, Calafiori has already shown a maturity that is rare for his age. The move to Arsenal and his impact — with goals, consistency and tactical adaptability — suggest that he could become one of the leading Italian defenders in Europe. His combination of physique, technique and versatility makes him a perfect profile for the demands of modern football: building from the back, contributing to the attacking phase and guaranteeing defensive solidity.
Riccardo “The Lionheart” Calafiori can already be considered a pillar of both Arsenal and the Italian national team for many years to come.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal: Pre-match Information 📋
📅 Match date: 6 December 2025
🕒 Match time: 13:30
🏟️ Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham (England)
🧑⚖️ Referee: Peter Bankes
Assistant Referees: Edward Smart, Blake Antrobus
Fourth official: Adam Herczeg
VAR: Darren England
AVAR: Mark Scholes
Probable line-ups 🎽
Aston Villa 🦁
(4-2-3-1)
GK 23 Emiliano Martínez (8/-11) 6.32
RB 2 Matty Cash (14/2) 6.96
CD 4 Ezri Konsa (13/0) 5.92
CD 14 Pau Torres (11/0) 5.86
LB 12 Lucas Digne (14/0) 6.32
CM 8 Youri Tielemans (8/0) 6.19
DM 24 Amadou Onana (9/2) 6.88
CM 7 John McGinn (14/1) 6.54
AM 27 Morgan Rogers (14/3) 6.96
AM 10 Emiliano Buendia (12/3) 7.18
CF 11 Ollie Watkins (14/3) 6.79
Team Manager 🧑🏫
Unai Emery
Reserves 🔁
GK 40 Marco Bizot (3/-6) 4.17
CD 26 Lamare Bogarde (10/0) 5.75
LB 22 Ian Maatsen (9/0) 6.00
RB 16 Andrés Garcia (0/0) –
CB 3 Victor Lindelöf (3/0) –
DM 44 Boubacar Kamara (12/1) 6.62
RW Evann Guessand (11/0) 6.05
17 Donyell Malen (14/4) 7.90
19 Jadon Sancho (6/0) 6.12
Not available players ❌
CM 6 Ross Barkley (7/1) 6.67
CD 5 Tyrone Mings (7/0) 5.71
Arsenal 🔴⚪️
(4-1-4-1)
GK 1 David Raya (14/-7) 6.36
RB 4 Ben White (2/0) 7.00
RB 12 Jurriën Timber (14/2) 6.93
CB 5 Piero Hincapié (5/0) 6.00
LB 33 Riccardo Calafiori (14/1) 6.68
DM 36 Martín Zubimendi (14/2) 6.79
RW 7 Bukayo Saka (12/4) 7.54
AM 8 Martin Ødegaard (8/0) 6.25
AM 10 Eberechi Eze (12/4) 7.62
LW 11 Gabriel Martinelli (10/1) 6.30
CF 14 Viktor Gyökeres (12/4) 7.36
Reserves 🔁
GK 12 Kepa Arrizabalaga (0/0) –
CB 2 William Saliba (11/0) 6.20
LB 49 Myles Lewis-Skelly (9/0) 5.70
RW 56 Max Dowman (0/0) –
DM 16 Christian Nørgaard (2/0) 6.00
RW 20 Noni Madueke (8/0) 6.19
CM 41 Declan Rice (14/2) 7.18
CM 23 Mikel Merino (13/3) 7.29
9 CF Gabriel Jesus (0/0) –
AM 22 Ethan Nwaneri (6/0) 6.20
Team Manager 🧑🏫
Mikel Arteta
Not available players ❌
CB 6 Gabriel Magalhães (11/1) 6.82
CB 3 Cristian Mosquera (10/0) 6.07
CF 29 Kai Havertz (1/0) 5.50
LW 19 LeandroTrossard (10/3) 7.60
Sources 🧐
Average ratings (included bonuses): Fanta.soccer (https://www.fanta.soccer/it/)
Line-ups: Gazzetta dello Sport (www.gazzetta.it)
Player numbers: Transfermarkt (www.transfermarkt.co.uk)
Results, statistics, tables: Flashscore (www.flashscore.com)
Where to watch ⚽📺
Argentina: ESPN Argentina
Italy: SkyGo Italia, Now TV
Japan: U-Next
Saudi Arabia: beIN Sports Connect
USA: NBC Sports, Universo Now
Rest of the world: Check local listings
(https://www.livesoccertv.com/it/match/arsenal-vs-aston-villa/171e0)
You absolutely cannot miss this spectacle, which has nothing to envy from the battles between gladiators (like the Roman defender Riccardo Calafiori) and lions (Aston Villa).
Who will win this clash?
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Because with us, football is always total. ⚽🔥