Aston Villa FC - Arsenal FC live - Football

Villa Park hosts one of the most anticipated fixtures of the new Premier League season on Monday, 31 August 2026, at 20:00 BST - Europa League holders Aston Villa taking on defending Premier League champions Arsenal. Villa arrive off a painful 0-4 GW1 defeat at Brighton, desperate to respond on home soil, while Arsenal - fresh from a 3-0 opening-day win over Coventry - have won back-to-back matches by that scoreline and show no sign of a dip in form. In 34 recent meetings, Arsenal have the stronger record with 20 wins to Villa's 9, but the last six clashes have been split, making the outcome here genuinely unpredictable.

Match Info: Aston Villa FC vs Arsenal

Aston Villa FC face Arsenal at Villa Park, Birmingham, on Monday, 31 August 2026, with kick-off at 20:00 BST (19:00 UTC). The match is a Premier League 2026/27 fixture, Gameweek 2 of the new campaign.

Where to Watch Aston Villa FC vs Arsenal?

Viewers in England and Ireland can catch all the action on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, and Sky Ultra HD, with streaming options including NOW TV UK, SKY GO Extra, and Sky Go UK. These are the primary broadcast platforms for the match across the United Kingdom.

In Germany and Austria, the match airs on Sky Sport Premier League HD, with online access via Sky Go Deutschland and WOW. Fans in Spain can tune in via DAZN España or Movistar+, while French viewers have Canal+ Foot and the myCanal streaming service at their disposal. In Belgium, Play Sports 1 carries the TV broadcast alongside Play Sports and Proximus Pickx online; the Netherlands has Viaplay Netherlands.

The global reach of this fixture is extensive: the United States offers USA Network and UNIVERSO on TV alongside Fubo TV and SiriusXM FC streaming; Canada has DAZN and fuboTV Canada; Australia can stream via Stan Sport. India has both Star Sports Select HD1 and JioHotstar, while Poland's viewers can watch on CANAL+ Extra 1 (TV) and CANAL+ online.

Match between Aston Villa FC and Arsenal - Preview

Two of English football's most decorated clubs clash at Villa Park - the Europa League holders against the Premier League champions - in a fixture that could already provide an early statement about who will challenge for the title in 2026/27.

Arsenal enter this game carrying the weight of history: Mikel Arteta's side clinched their fourth league title on 24 May 2026 with a 2-1 win at Manchester City, before losing the Champions League final to PSG on penalties on 30 May in Budapest. They then lifted the Community Shield with a 3-0 win over Manchester City in Cardiff on 16 August and opened the new Premier League season with an equally dominant 3-0 over newly promoted Coventry City on 21 August. The Gunners are confident, settled, and hungry for more.

Aston Villa, managed by Unai Emery, completed a historic 2025/26 campaign by defeating Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final in Istanbul on 20 May - their first major European honour in 44 years. However, the new season has begun with turbulence: Villa lost 1-2 to PSG in the UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg on 12 August, and were then dismantled 0-4 by Brighton in their Premier League opener on 23 August. Emery's squad needs a home performance to answer the questions now being raised about their readiness for the new campaign.

Head-to-Head: Aston Villa FC vs Arsenal

The head-to-head between these clubs over the last three Premier League seasons has been fiercely competitive - Villa claimed two memorable victories in 2023/24 that played a part in derailing Arsenal's title bid, while Arsenal dominated the final encounter of 2025/26 with a 4-1 thumping. In 34 documented meetings since the mid-1990s, Arsenal lead with 20 wins against Villa's 9, with 5 draws.

Here are the six most recent meetings between these two sides:

• 30 December 2025 - Premier League - Arsenal 4-1 Aston Villa
• 6 December 2025 - Premier League - Aston Villa 2-1 Arsenal
• 18 January 2025 - Premier League - Arsenal 2-2 Aston Villa
• 24 August 2024 - Premier League - Aston Villa 0-2 Arsenal
• 14 April 2024 - Premier League - Arsenal 0-2 Aston Villa
• 9 December 2023 - Premier League - Aston Villa 1-0 Arsenal

Aston Villa FC - Recent Form

Aston Villa arrive at this fixture as Europa League winners, yet their opening competitive results of 2026/27 have given rise to real questions about their form and fitness heading into the new campaign.

The high point came on 20 May 2026, when Emery's side produced a commanding 3-0 victory over Freiburg in Istanbul - goals from Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendía, and Morgan Rogers sealing the club's first European trophy in 44 years. The triumph ended a 30-year wait for any silverware whatsoever, confirming Villa as a genuine continental force.

Since that night, though, the momentum has stalled sharply. Villa suffered a 1-2 defeat to PSG in the UEFA Super Cup on 12 August in Salzburg, lost 2-1 to Borussia Mönchengladbach in a pre-season friendly on 15 August, and were then dismantled 0-4 by Brighton at the Amex in their Premier League opener on 23 August. Three consecutive defeats, with the team looking vulnerable at the back, paint a picture of a side still finding its rhythm after the euphoria of Istanbul.

Arsenal - Recent Form

Arsenal come into this fixture having won all three matches played since the competitive calendar resumed - a record built on two Community Shield and Premier League wins by a 3-0 margin each, underscoring why they remain the team to beat in England.

The 2025/26 season was Arteta's greatest achievement to date: the title was sealed on the final day with a 2-1 win at Manchester City on 24 May, after Arsenal had beaten Liverpool 4-2 at the Emirates on 15 May. The heartbreak of losing the Champions League final to PSG on penalties - after a 1-1 draw in Budapest on 30 May - proved to be only a brief pause before the squad refocused for the new season.

The new campaign began with two commanding 3-0 victories: first the Community Shield over Manchester City in Cardiff on 16 August, then the Premier League opener against Coventry City on 21 August at the Emirates, with Kai Havertz opening the scoring in the 15th minute. Arsenal travel to Villa Park with three points already on the board and a settled squad brimming with confidence.

Facts and Statistics

Aston Villa and Arsenal are two of the most successful clubs in English football history, with a rivalry stretching back well over a century. Their Premier League meetings in recent seasons have been consistently compelling, with 7 of the last 10 encounters decided by a margin of two goals or fewer.

• Aston Villa won the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League by defeating SC Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul - their first major European trophy since the European Cup triumph in 1982.
• Arsenal clinched the 2025/26 Premier League title - their 4th top-flight championship - on the final day of the season, winning 2-1 at Manchester City on 24 May 2026.
• In 34 Premier League-era head-to-head meetings, Arsenal lead Aston Villa by 20 wins to 9, with 5 draws.
• Arsenal's David Raya kept 19 clean sheets during the 2025/26 Premier League season - the highest tally in the league that year.
• The two sides have met 6 times since December 2023, and in no case has one team followed a win with another win - every victory has been answered by a reversal or draw in the next encounter.