Arsenal discover title boost thanks to AFCON as Premier League rivals suffer blow

Arsenal and Chelsea are set to face Aston Villa over the next couple of weeks but the Midlands club have been hit with a last minute squad change

Arsenal have been handed a potential title boost thanks to the Africa Cup of Nations, while Chelsea have also received a helping hand in their quest for Champions League qualification.

The Christmas period is a crucial run of games in the English top-flight season, and both the Gunners and Chelsea are set to face a high-flying Aston Villa side in the coming weeks. Enzo Maresca 's side will host the Midlands club on December 27, while Arsenal will then welcome them to the Emirates Stadium a few days later.

All three teams are currently in contention for a top-four finish, with Mikel Arteta 's side hoping to go one step further and claim the title. Arsenal top the standings, with Villa in third and Chelsea occupying fourth place after 16 matches played.

However, in the run-up to these fixtures, which begins with a match against Manchester United for Villa this weekend, Unai Emery has been faced with a last-minute squad change. Winger Evann Guessand has received a late call-up to the Ivory Coast’s Africa Cup of Nations squad, following the withdrawal of former West Ham forward Sebastien Haller due to injury.

Guessand, 24, joined the Villains from French side Nice in the summer for a fee in the region of £30 million. He has so far scored two goals for the club, both of which have come in the Europa League against Go Ahead Eagles and Basel.

AFCON gets underway in Morocco this weekend, with Ivory Coast’s first group game against Mozambique set to take place on Christmas Eve. They are the current holders of the trophy, having overcome Nigeria 3-1 in the 2024 final, which means they are no doubt among the favourites to progress deep into the competition this time around.

The tournament will run until the middle of next month, with the final scheduled to take place on January 18. Even if Ivory Coast are not to make it out of the group, Guessand will still miss all three matches against United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Arsenal and Chelsea are two of five Premier League teams without any representation at AFCON, which can be viewed as a major boost during a crucial run of fixtures. Both are managing something of an injury crisis, though, with six absentees each as things stand.

Villa have been in fantastic form of late, as they are nine games into a winning run, having not lost a match in any competition since the defeat at Anfield against Liverpool at the start of November. Arsenal, on the other hand, will be determined to make amends for the 2-1 loss suffered at the hands of Emery's side at the beginning of December as they look to maintain their hold on the title race.