Jack Wilshere has warned Arsenal not to assume that three points will be in the bag when Aston Villa travel to the Emirates on the Premier League’s final day.
The Premier League’s bottom side have endured a nightmarish campaign in which they have won just three of 37 games, with Villa last claiming a win on February 6.
In the intervening 12 games Villa have claimed just a single point, last week in a 0-0 draw against Newcastle, have seen manager Remi Garde leave mere months into a contract due to expire in 2019 and seen boardroom figures David Bernstein and Lord King resign little over a month after joining the club.
Arsenal need a win over Villa on the final day to have any hope of catching Tottenham and claiming second place and Wilshere is convinced his side cannot take victory for granted against a side who have conceded 72 goals this season.
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“We like to think we can win most of our home games,” Wilshere said. I don’t know what happened to Aston Villa this season, but I don’t expect them to come and just let us beat them.
“We said a few weeks back that we don’t want to get fourth, we don’t want to have to face a qualifier. We want to be straight in there and enjoy the season without having to play a big game beforehand.”
A draw with Villa will all but guarantee Arsenal finish the season in third place, avoiding a play-off that could begin just three days after the start of the 2016/17 season.
