Arsenal's defeat by Leicester City in their last match at Emirates Stadium was their only home loss in 2020 but a second successive victory for would ensure they leapfrog Aston Villa in the table.
Villa are aiming to bounce back from successive defeats and claim consecutive league victories against Arsenal for the first time since May/December 1998.
Team news
David Luiz has recovered from a hamstring problem and is available for Arsenal, who also have Calum Chambers progressing well towards full match fitness.
Villa's Bertrand Traore (calf) is sidelined until after the international break, while Tom Heaton is now in full training but lacking match fitness.
Did you know?
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored 62.5 per cent of his league goals on a Sunday, with 35 in 43 matches compared to 21 in 49 matches on all other days.
Arsenal have conceded seven goals this season, fewer than any other top-flight side so far. However since beating Norwich City 4-0 in July, the Gunners have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last six PL contests at Emirates Stadium.
Villa are the only side yet to concede away from home in the Premier League this season, while they were the only side not to keep a clean sheet on the road in the competition last season.
Jack Grealish's total of eight goal involvements for Villa in 2020/21 is second only to the Tottenham Hotspur duo Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, who have claimed 14 and 10 respectively.
Match officials
Referee: Martin Atkinson. Assistants: Constantine Hatzidakis, Nick Hopton. Fourth official: Graham Scott. VAR: David Coote. Assistant VAR: Stephen Child.