Step one and step two of Arsenal's recovery have been completed quite well following the 5-2 drubbing of Tottenham last weekend and the trouble-free 2-0 win over Montpellier in the Champions League.

The crucial step three towards the Gunners charging their way up the Premier League table and maintaining that winning run will take place at struggling Aston Villa.

Arsenal are still far from the top, nine points behind league leaders Manchester City, and nothing short of three points will be acceptable, if they are to stay within the reach of the title challengers.

The Gunners put on their best attacking display in quite a while against Tottenham, albeit against ten men, and even if they might not have been entirely convincing going forward against Montpellier, they showed the professionalism and mental capacity needed to get the right result - something that has been sorely lacking in the past few weeks.

Villa are short on confidence, and currently lie third bottom on nine points from 12 matches, after suffering a heavy 5-0 defeat to Man City last weekend. Paul Lambert is slowly but surely getting his team to play the way he wants to, but it looks like Villa are currently taking one step forward, and two steps back.

Wenger will be aware of the struggles at Villa, and will ask his players to take advantage. The return of Jack Wilshere has hugely lifted the Arsenal squad, with the playmaker nearing the levels that he had reached before suffering the serious injury which kept him out for 17 months.

Wilshere scored his first goal on return on Wednesday against Montpellier with Wenger predicting there are plenty more goals to come from the left-footed playmaker.

The trio of Mikel Arteta, Wilshere and Santi Cazorla is starting to build an understanding, while Olivier Giroud has gone from strength-to-strength up front, with Lukas Podolski giving good support. Arsenal will be without the services of Theo Walcott, who was impressive against Tottenham, due to a shoulder injury, but Arsene Wenger is hopeful of getting the forward back for the game against Everton on Wednesday.

Andre Santos will be out for another ten days, while Tomas Rosicky has returned to training, even though he will not be available for the game on Saturday.

Kieran Gibbs might return to the starting lineup at left-back, meaning Wenger will have to choose two between Thomas Vermaelen, Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should keep his place on the right ahead of the returning Gervinho.

There were plenty of positives to take out from the win over Spurs and Montpellier, and the most important aspect that Wenger will look towards is the continued improvement in attack, but more importantly the return of that solidity at the back, which was so evident in the opening games of the season.

Expected lineups: Aston Villa: Guzan; Stevens, Vlaar, Clark, Lowton; Bannan, Westwood; Agbonlahor, Ireland, Weimann; Benteke.

Arsenal: Szczesny; Gibbs, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Sagna; Arteta, Wilshere, Cazorla; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Podolski, Giroud.

Prediction: 2-0 to Arsenal