Villa moved into second place, three points behind Arsenal who suffered only their second league loss of the season.

Arsenal have beaten Brentford 2-0 in the Premier League, extending their lead atop the table to five points over Manchester City. Mikel Merino headed the hosts into the lead in the 11th minute, scoring for the second time in four days. The lead remained 1-0 until second-half stoppage time, when Bukayo Saka scored to put the game to bed.

Preview the matchup between Arsenal FC and Brentford FC with predictions, odds, over/under, betting lines and more.

Chelsea vs Arsenal will kick off at 11:30 a.m. ET/ 8:30 a.m. PT in the United States. The match will kick off at 4:30 p.m. local time in London, England, at Stamford Bridge. The match will be available to watch across select TV channels in the United States and the UK.

The Villa manager said he has not given much thought to any talk of title contention should they beat Arsenal on Saturday, insisting his focus remains on "each match". He stressed the importance of perspective, reminding his players how quickly things can shift, noting that "two months ago we were in the bottom".

Arsenal’s mounting injury problems pose a challenge for manager Mikel Arteta ahead of Saturday’s Premier League trip to third-placed Aston Villa, who are flying high on a six-match winning streak across all competitions.

The latest Arsenal injury news and return dates ahead of the Premier League match against Aston Villa.

Mikel Merino scored one goal and set up another as Arsenal beat Brentford 2-0 to reopen their five-point lead over Man City; Spain international has scored 21 goals in the calendar year having embrace