Mikel Arteta is serving a touchline ban while his Arsenal side face Aston Villa (Picture: Getty)
Mikel Arteta will be forced to watch Arsenal’s Premier League summit meeting against Aston Villa from the stands.
The Arsenal manager was booked for his celebration that followed Declan Rice’s dramatic 97th minute winning goal against Luton Town in midweek.
Having now been cautioned on three separate occasions this season, the Spaniardwill serve a one-game touchline suspension while his side attempts to retain leadership of the Premier League.
Arteta’s assistant, Albert Stuivenberg. will oversee the game along with Carlos Cuesta as the Gunners attempt to underline their title-winning credentials at Villa Park.
Stuivenberg’s only other experience of taking charge of the Arsenal first team came on New Year’s Day back in 2022 when Arteta was forced to miss the game against Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium having tested positive for Covid.
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Arteta could face another touchline ban as he awaits the outcome of an FA charge for calling the match officials a ‘disgrace’ following Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Newcastle on November 4.
Reflecting on his celebration at Luton, he said: ‘If I was given the opportunity to celebrate, no I wouldn’t stop.
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‘I would like to be with my players because we work closely every single day to win the games and when you get those moments in sport, you should be able to do that.
‘I don’t know how to stop it. It was a really emotional moment with everybody bouncing around and you lose sense of where you are and the space you have to be in.
‘It was unfortunate as now I cannot be next to my team on the touchline.’
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The Gunners boss is sitting in the stands.