Nice work from Emile Smith Rowe to control the ball inside the box as Arsenal come forward again, he slips in Nicolas Pepe but his first touch is poor and Villa deal with the danger.

Paul Collins: Someone at Arsenal needs to be held accountable for us only having 1 left back. Cedric is not a left back and hes largely to blame already for that Villa goal.

CM: My prediction of Villa beating us 3 nil today looking pretty stupid now... more likely to be 5...

There was barely 90 seconds on the clock when that goal went in. Dreadful from Arsenal but the Gunners do have a chance to respond with a corner. It is headed down inside the box by Gabriel but the hosts manage to scramble clear.

We're up and running at Villa Park.

The Masked Duck of Crawley

Imiz, Leicester

Emiliano Martínez clocks Granit Xhaka as the two teams enter the tunnel and hugs his former team-mate and has a quick catch up.

You get the feeling that the performances of the two goalkeepers could be key today. Will Martinez frustrate his former side?

The players are heading out onto the pitch...

Alexanderjourno: Like Gareth Bale, what is the point in signing a player who needs games when you are not prepared to give them much game time. Martin Odegaard went to Arsenal specifically to play. Arteta "wanted" him. And yet he is benched? Bizarre management.

Andy, Wallingford

Ashley Williams
Former Wales captain on Football Focus

We've all been waiting for Arsenal to kick in a little bit. They've settled down a bit now. They didn't get the result the other day but with the red cards it was inevitable, really. It's nice to see Arsenal doing better this season. Hopefully, for the Premier League, they'll be up there right at the end.

Alex Scott
Former England and Arsenal defender on Football Focus

Aston Villa are in a great place. What I love about Jack Grealish is he doesn't shun the responsibility. He knows he's their main player and constantly wants the ball - and when teams are doubling up on him he knows it's freeing up other people to shine, and now I think they've added more in attack and it's allowing him freedom to find those spaces and make things happen.

Mark Lawrenson
BBC football expert

West Ham did a job on Aston Villa on Wednesday but, unlike last season, I don't look at Dean Smith's side when they lose now and think they are going to go on a run of bad results.

The Hammers were set up to nullify Jack Grealish and it worked, so it will be interesting to see how Arsenal approach this one.

Will the Gunners bother doing that with Grealish, or will they just think they are better than Villa and just go and play their football? I don't know.

Arsenal are without the suspended David Luiz in defence so they might change their shape and go with three at the back - but I fancy Villa to edge this one anyhow.

Prediction: 2-1

The players are warming up on the pitch with just over 15 minutes to go. Villa assistant coach Craig Shakespeare gathers the home players in a circle and gives them a pep talk. "This is a great opportunity to show what we can do," he says.

Win today and Villa will go above Tottenham into eighth and will also move onto 35 points - equalling the tally they got for the whole of last season.

Adam Salter: Weird irony that today, Arsenal’s replacement keeper will face off against the former Arsenal replacement keeper he replaced, who left after replacing the main keeper towards the end of last season, who has now been replaced by today’s replacement keeper...

Gary O'Brien, Sutton Coldfield

Anonymous (please put your names on your texts!)

Image source, Getty Images

To watch Emile Smith Rowe play football, you would think he would have the confident, almost cocky, swagger off the pitch as he displays on it.

That could not be further from the truth. The talented 20-year-old's assured displays for Arsenal this season have been a significant driving factor in the Gunners' resurgence after he broke into the first team.

But without a football at his feet, Smith Rowe is a quiet and reserved person who used to get incredibly nervous before playing in even under-17 games.

So how did a shy and quiet young man from Croydon conquer his nerves to become one of the most exciting youngsters in the English top flight? Read more here.

Football Focus is on BBC One and online. Tune in and here an interview from Aston Villa's main man.

Image source, Getty Images

Well done Chris, the answer is indeed John Kosmina!

His connection? Mat Ryan will today become the first Australian to appear for Arsenal in a competitive game since Kosmina against FK Crvena Zvezda in December 1978 in the Uefa Cup.

Chris Dalton: Kosmina is the picture, played 1 game for Arsenal

Cristiano Ronaldo turned 36 yesterday, giving us the perfect excuse to put together some of his best Premier League moments.

Watch above.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Plenty to wrap your ears around on BBC Radio 5 Live today - Mark Chapman will be leading all of the build-up, news and updates from midday before live commentary from Newcastle v Southampton from 15:00, as well as commentary from Burnley v Brighton courtesy of 5 Live Sports Extra.

Then after a brief break for some Six Nations action, you'll be able to have your say on 606 - and you can listen to all of that at the top of this very page.

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal have managed just two shots in total against Aston Villa in their last two games, failing to score a goal.