The Premier League have confirmed their official appointments for Saturday’s fixture between Aston Villa and Arsenal, with Michael Oliver to referee the game assisted by Stuart Burt and Dan Cook.
Darren England will act as the fourth official, whilst Peter Bankes is on VAR assisted by Eddie Smart.
It’s no real surprise to see one of the league’s most highly-rated referees appointed to this one, given the context of the fixture.
Arsenal and Villa are both expected to be towards the top end of the Premier League table this season, the two clubs have played out some close encounters in recent years, and there was quite a bit of controversy in this particular fixture last time around.
Villa ended up winning the match 1-0, but Arsenal fans felt aggrieved at a penalty not awarded to Gabriel Jesus and a goal disallowed against Kai Havertz.
Though PGMOL insist the right decisions were made on the day, they’ll want to avoid those kinds of controversies this time if possible.
Since the turn of the millennium, Arsenal have had an excellent record against Villa. The Gunners have won 28 games against Saturday’s opponents, drawing nine, and losing just eight.
Yet the recent record hasn’t been nearly so impressive, with five of those eight defeats coming in the last nine matches.
Last season, Arsenal fans will be well aware they lost both home and away to Villa. In a campaign where the Gunners only lost five league games in total, that fact makes these games a clear area for improvement.
