Unai Emery will be looking to pile the misery on Arsenal this weekend as he welcomes his former employers to Villa Park.

It wouldn’t be the first time Emery has gotten the better of the Gunners since departing the club, having seen his Villarreal side knock them out of the Europa League on route to lifting the trophy in 2021. The Gunners make the trip on the back of a four-game winless run in all competitions, including a morale-sapping defeat at home against Manchester City on Wednesday that cost them their place at the top of the table.

With the hosts no doubt ready to disrupt their opponents and Arsenal desperate to return to winning ways, both sides are likely to take an approach that could lead this to be a bitty affair so there are likely to be fouls all over the pitch. I’m backing Eddie Nketiah to be the main culprit.

For starters, Aston Villa are the most fouled team in the division. And when you look at the players that are fouled most often, it’s those that play either in defence or central midfield. Ezri Konsa is fouled 1.8 times per game, John McGinn and Jacob Ramsey 1.6, Boubacar Kamara 1.4, Lucas Digne 1.3 and Douglas Luiz 1.2. Villa’s defenders clearly enjoy taking a whack or two from the opposition, or more likely enjoy going down to relieve some pressure on their side.

The players that commit the most fouls for Arsenal are their forwards, perhaps unsurprising given the relentless nature of their press. It’s clearly a theme amongst their strikers with Gabriel Jesus committing 1.7 fouls per start and his replacement following injury, Eddie Nketiah, committing 2.4. His eight league starts have seen him make 2, 4, 1, 3, 2, 2, 2 and 3 fouls. With Konsa having been fouled in each of his last ten league matches and Douglas Luiz in ten of his last 11, it stands a fair chance that Nketiah is going to force the referee to blow his whistle a couple of times on Saturday.

Another London derby for Brentford after their surprise 1-1 draw with Arsenal last weekend.

The Bees have been excellent at home this season, winning six and losing just one of their 11 league matches at the Gtech Community Stadium and will fancy their chances of a result against a Crystal Palace side that have just two wins to their name on the road this term.

Despite having a reputation for being one of the more unsavoury sides in the division, Brentford aren’t really a team that commit too many fouls, with the exception of big striker Ivan Toney. However, this is a game where those numbers will be tested with Crystal Palace the second most fouled side in the division.

What Patrick Vieira’s side have in abundance is raw, attacking players who enjoy running at people and into space. Wilfried Zaha is the second most fouled player in the league, on the end of three fouls per game. Jordan Ayew is close, with 2.5, followed by Eberichi Eze and Michael Olise at 1.7. It means that Brentford’s wing-backs and central midfielders are going to be tested either one v one or on the cover when these flair players dip inside from their wide positions.

Big Dane Christian Norgaard is committing around 1.3 fouls per game when he starts and he has committed three, two and two fouls in the three matches since his return to the side. Playing at the base of the Brentford midfield in either a 3-5-2 or 4-3-3, he will be in the thick of the action to protect his back line.

A huge clash towards the bottom of the table as Sean Dyche’s new troops host managerless Leeds United.

Dyche has unsurprisingly been uncompromising with the way he has gone about things, shaping his side up in a 4-1-4-1 formation that has been about shape, playing off a big man up top and shutting down the centre of the pitch. Leeds United have been far more open and exciting than that, taking the game to Manchester United during Michael Skubala’s two games in temporary charge to date.

Leeds’ most fouled players have been their wide players to date, Crysencio Summerville (2.8), Wilfried Gnonto (2.7). Brendan Aaronson (2.1) and Luke Ayling (1.9) all on the end of a high number of fouls this term. That has continued to be the case under Skubala with Gnonto (five), Summerville (four), Harrison (three) and Ayling (two) all on the end of Manchester United retribution over the last week or so.

Notably, Fred gave away three fouls playing in the left-central role of Manchester United’s midfield in both of those matches with Tyrell Malacia (left-back) and Luke Shaw (left centre-back) giving away two fouls each in the second fixture when Summerville started.

With Everton likely to be so compact in the centre of the pitch, the ball is going to be forced into wide positions meaning Everton’s full-backs will be committed one v one while the rest of the team shift across. In his two games under Dyche, Vitaliy Mykolenko has committed three and four fouls. He will be up against a Leeds wide man and Luke Ayling here. One foul at 1.44 represents decent value.

Steve Cooper has done a tremendous job at Nottingham Forest but injuries are causing him headaches right now, the Welshman without Scott McKenna, Willy Boly, Ryan Yates, Cheick Kouyate, Moussa Niakhate and Guilian Biancone. It has left them raising a request to the Premier League to see if they introduce Steve Cook back into the 25-man squad having initially been left out. In the meantime, Joe Worrall and Felipe will take to the field.

The pair aren’t expected to be regulars and they could scarcely ask for a tougher assignment with Manchester City back to their ruthless best in recent games with Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland back on the scoresheet in midweek. Not to mention the unique formation.

With the exception of wingers Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish, Manchester City don’t have a number of players that are regularly on the end of opposition fouls. However, I looked deeper into their recent games to see who does commit fouls. Arsenal saw both centre-backs commit a foul on Wednesday. Ezri Konsa and Ashley Young committed fouls for Aston Villa. Spurs saw their entire back five make at least two fouls while Nelson Semedo and Max Kilman caused the referee to blow his whistle.

It’s why I’m looking at the defence here and specifically, Joe Worrall. For starters, Forest centre-backs haven’t been shy of making challenges with Niakhate, Kouyate (occasionally from midfield) and Worrall committing at least 1.3 fouls per start this season. Worrall has committed at least one foul in each of his last four matches and as captain, he will want to set the tone for his team and the fans if he gets the chance to do so.

The evening kick off between Newcastle United and Liverpool is a big one for both sides as they bid to prove their credentials.

For Newcastle United, a victory helps cement their place in the top four, giving them a five-point lead over an inconsistent Tottenham Hotspur side. For Liverpool, it’s a chance to close the gap on Newcastle to six points as they bid to make a late charge for the top four after a disappointing campaign during which they have won just nine of their 21 league matches.

Eddie Howe’s side aren’t afraid to get stuck in and that is especially the case in midfield where Joelinton (1.9 fouls per start), Bruno Guimaraes and Joe Willock (both 1.3) regularly get the referee involved. It can be the same going the other way with Guimaraes one of the most fouled players in the division at 2.5 fouls per game started, Sean Longstaff at 1.4 and Joelinton at 1.1.

They come up against a Liverpool side who aren’t afraid to commit fouls (Fabinho and Thiago 1.3) but are also good at winning free-kicks, particularly from deeper midfield areas where Thiago (1.8) and Stefan Bajcetic (1.7) operate. Newcastle are quite happy to let sides play until they move the ball into midfield, which is when the Magpies spring into life. With Willock and Guimaraes unavailable, Joelington will be playing a pivotal role in the press and ensuring his team-mates aren’t left exposed.

Thiago has been fouled in four of his last six league matches while Bajcetic has been fouled in each of his three. Meanwhile, Joelinton has given away a foul in every league match and two or more in four of his last six. With less natural defensive cover, the onus will be on Joelinton to provide that aggression in the midfield too.