Robert Pires is in Gerard Houllier’s starting XI today at Villa Park, and as coincidence would have it, the Gunner legendmakes his first Aston Villa start against visiting Arsenal. The 37-year-old attacker, who made 189 league appearances for Arsène Wenger, lines up behind John Carew for Villa today.
Aston Villa Vs. Arsenal: Robert Pires’s First Villa Start Comes Against Former Club
For Arsenal, Tomas Rosicky is in the side, with Samir Nasri moving back toward the middle to compensate for Cesc Fabregas’s absence. Jack Wilshire and Alex Song fill out the midfield for Wenger, who has chose Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci in central defense.
With injuries in mind, the lineups bared almost no surprises, and after eight minutes at Villa Park, the match is still scoreless. Here are the starting XIs:
Aston Villa (4-4-2/4-4-1-1): Freidel / L. Young, Dunne, Collins, Warnock / Downing, Clark, Bannan, A. Young / Pires, Carew
Arsenal (4-3-3): Fabianski / Sagna, Squillaci, Koscielny, Clichy / Nasri, Song, Wilshire / Rosicky, Chamakh, Arshavin
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