Here are 10 things you should know about Arsenal and Aston Villa prior to kick-off this afternoon:
1. Thomas Vermaelen scored the winner for Arsenal against Everton in their last game, making him the top scoring defender in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index with five goals so far this season.
2. Vermaelen has had 28 shots at goal with 68% on target, the third highest number of shots from a defender in the Premier League, behind Ryan Taylor and John Arne Riise.
3. Mike Arteta covered the most ground for Arsenal against his former club with 5.93 miles. The 7th time in the last ten games the Spaniard has covered the most ground for the Gunners.
4. Arteta has now also completed over one thousand passes in his opponent’s half, with 1009, the highest by any one player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
5. Only Man United and Man City have a better chance conversion rate than Arsenal this season. Arsenal have averaged 7.6 shots for every goal, while United have average 6.1 shots to the goal and City 7.3.
6. Arsenal are also behind Man United and Bolton on shots on target, with 61% of the Gunner shots hitting the target, compared to 63% of United’s and 62% of Bolton’s
7. Andreas Weimann’s first Premier League goal gave Aston Villa a 1-0 win over Fulham in their last Premier League game.
8. Villa have won more tackles than any other team in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index with 619, 70% of all tackles attempted.
9. That’s led by three Villa players in the top five for tackles won by individuals, Stephen Warnock with 72, Richard Dunne with 71, and Stiliyan Petrov with 69. Petrvo’s has also won more tackles than any other midfielder in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
10. Villa have also made the highest number of interceptions, with 943 so far this season.
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