Gabriel Magalhaes and Jakub Kiwior both missed Arsenal’s last practice because they had to get ready for their game against Aston Villa on Sunday.

When they play Villains, Mikel Arteta’s team knows that a win would keep them on top of the Premier League table for at least another week. Gabriel and Kiwior were both not at Arsenal’s last practice before the game, so the boss might have to do it without those two regular starters.

Back center Gabriel has been having trouble with his Achilles for the past month, so he missed Arsenal’s training on Friday. The Brazilian also wasn’t with the team when they took the field at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday for their final preparations. On the other hand, Kiwior wasn’t involved either.

In recent months, the Poland international has made left back his own position. At halftime of Arsenal’s exciting 2-2 Champions League draw with Bayern Munich on Tuesday, he was replaced by Oleksandr Zinchenko. Takehiro Tomiyasu could play center back instead of Gabriel if Gabriel gets hurt. Zinchenko is expected to start against Villa.

And when asked about the team’s problems on Friday, Arteta kept his cards close to his chest. “We still have one day to get ready for the game.” Ahead of the game, the Gunners manager told the press, “We’ll see tomorrow if everyone is available.”

Douglas Luiz, a key defender for Villa, is out because he is suspended. But Tyrone Mings, Jacob Ramsey, Boubacar Kamara, and Emi Buendia are still out. Matty Cash and Clement Lenglet have returned to training after being laid off and could play.

Arteta thinks that Villa boss Unai Emery will be a tough test. Emery will be back at the Emirates for the first time since being replaced by another Spaniard in December 2019, so he will be playing in front of fans for the first time since then.

“What they’ve done since Unai came in… He’s made a huge impact at the club in terms of performances and consistency, it’s unbelievable what they are doing,” Arteta said. “They’re still in European competition and they played last night so its really impressive with what they’ve done.”

In December, Emery led Villa to a 1-0 win over Arsenal, but the former Arsenal manager says that Sunday’s game is “completely different.” “The game we’re going to play on Sunday is different from the one we played at home in December,” Emery said.

“Something like that because there are a lot of players playing and fighting in those teams again.” But this game is different because we’re playing at the Emirates and they are playing for the Premier League trophy which is also different. We’re in a battle with Tottenham for a spot in the Champions League and are trying to stay in fifth place, behind Tottenham. It’s also different because some players are hurt and won’t be able to play on Sunday.