Olivier Giroud was all smiles after his three goals sent Arsenal into the next stage of UEFA Champions League. (Getty)
He called it “The Greatest Escape.”
Those were Arsene Wenger’s words earlier this week, after Arsenal kept their Champions League hopes alive with a 3-0 victory over Olympiakos. The Gunners battled injuries and a poor start to advance in their group, which included an impressive victory over Bayern Munich.
“I told you before the game that it would be the greatest escape,” Wenger said to BT Sport. “I’m very proud of the team because we needed to be right mentally and tactically and at 2-0 we needed to push for a third because it was dangerous.”
Now one of 16 teams remaining, Arsenal can put the cherry on top of a memorable week with a win over last place Aston Villa. Leicester doesn’t play until Monday, so a win from Arsenal would put them at the top of the table.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the table, Aston Villa are speeding headfirst towards their first-ever relegation. They are winless in their last 14 matches, and are eight points below the drop.
Today however, may bring a glimmer of hope. Jack Grealish could return to the lineup for Villa today, giving the Villains a much-needed talent boost. Grealish has spent a little over two weeks on the bench, after tabloids busted him for partying at a nightclub with friends after a match.
Here are the basics:
DATE: December 13, 2015
CHANNEL: NBC Sports Network
KICKOFF TIME: 8:30 a.m. Eastern
LOCATION: Villa Park
LIVE STREAM: Click here for all the live stream information.
THE LINEUPS
Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Flamini, Ramsey, Theo Walcott
Aston Villa: Guzan, Hutton, Okore, Lescott, Bacuna, Gana, Veretout, Sanchez, Sinclair, Ayew, Gestede
Find out how to watch this game in Spanish at AhoraMismo.com: