Mikel Arteta wants to see an improvement from Arsenal in terms of their ability to withstand pressure and dictate how matches unfold, particularly once ahead. That lack of control was in evidence against Crystal Palace, where they had to come from behind to secure a late point and he made reference to what needs to be done.

"After the goal we didn't manage the game well enough. We didn't have composure or control. The game was stretched. You have uncertainty, you have to defend deep,” he said.

Their next chance to put matters right comes against Aston Villa on Friday night, with Dean Smith’s team one point and one place further back in the Premier League table and similarly seeking to find consistency.

Villa blew a two-goal lead against Wolves last time out, conceding three in the final 10 minutes after what had been a decent all-round performance.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the game.

When is the match?

The game kicks off at 8pm BST on Friday 22 October at the Emirates Stadium.

Where can I watch it?

The match will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Ultra HD. Subscribers can stream the match via the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content.

What is the team news?

Granit Xhaka remains sidelined for Arsenal and there are question marks over Bukayo Saka and Keiran Tierney, who both took knocks on Monday night against Palace.

Leon Bailey should be back in the squad and Matty Cash is fit after a minor leg injury so is likely to start. Trezeguet is out injured.

Predicted line-ups

ARS - Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tierney, Thomas, Lokonga, Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Aubameyang, Lacazette

AST - Martinez; Konsa, Mings, Tuanzebe, Cash, McGinn, Luiz, Targett, Buendia, Ings, Watkins

Odds

Arsenal Evens

Draw 11/4

Aston Villa 16/5

Prediction

Arsenal to just about edge a match between two sides who seem to feel they should be punching well above where they are right now - but haven’t shown any real reason to take those ambitions seriously as yet. Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa.