Aston Villa boss Dean Smith believes Arsenal have been transformed under manager Mikel Arteta.
Villa are one spot above Arsenal in the Premier League table, but Smith says his side are expecting "a really tough game".
"He [Mikel Arteta] took over and they went and won the FA Cup," said Smith
“They have started with good performances, so he's done a fantastic job.
“It was a big win for us [last season] that helped us to retain our Premier League status, and we played them in pre-season, so we know a lot about them.
“It will be a really tough game, they had a really good result against Manchester United last week and Molde last night."
Villa recovered from 4-0 down before eventually being beaten 4-3 by Southampton in their last outing.
Smith continued: "We played some really good football in the second half, but we can't give teams four-goal leads.
“It was never a 4-0 game, it wasn't a bad performance, but we gave free-kicks away in silly areas.
“We have analysed the game and it's not a lack of defensive action that led to the goals.
“We still feel that we've had a good start, the last two results have been disappointing. The players are still confident, that's for sure, they want to put it right."
Smith says his side will be without Bertrand Traore for the trip to Arsenal.
“Bertrand [Traore] came off and he'll be struggling for Sunday, he won't make it," said Smith.
“He'll definitely be back after the international break.
“Tom [Heaton] is in full training; he needs a few games.
“He's got a chance [of playing for the U23s against Burnley], we're waiting to see if that will go ahead and if it does, I expect him to play."
