Mikel coy on Art of discretion

Mikel Arteta promised one day he would copy Jose Mourinho's line-up surprise but the guarded manager is reluctant to give his rivals any advantage.

- BY TOM CANTON

MIKEL ARTETA promised one day he would copy Jose Mourinho's lineup surprise but the guarded manager is reluctant to give his rivals any advantage.

Top-of-the-table Arsenal go to third place Aston Villa, looking to secure a first Premier League away victory for more than a month, following draws at Sunderland and Chelsea.

Wednesday's home win over Brentford came at a cost, with Declan Rice (right) and Cristhian Mosquera coming off with problems, into which Arteta failed to give much insight.

“Well, let's see,” said Arteta. “With all the questions, the answer, unfortunately, is going to be the same. We have another training session in the afternoon.”