Aston Villa v Arsenal – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Aston Villa host Arsenal at Villa Park on Saturday. Villa have won 14 successive home league matches but the Gunners were the last team to beat them on home turf. Arsenal have won four successive English Premier League fixtures.

Aston Villa Form

Villa remarkably sits third in the table having won ten of their first 15 matches. It is now a remarkable 14 home league wins in a row under Unai Emery. In their last 13 fixtures, they’ve only tasted defeat on one occasion – a 2-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in a Midlands derby. Aston Villa have bounced back from that with five wins and a draw in six fixtures.

Their league results have seen a 3-1 home win over Fulham and a 2-1 success at Tottenham. A slightly disappointing display at Bournemouth saw a 90th-minute equaliser required to take a point. In midweek, they deservedly beat Man City 1-0 at home with their opponents allowed just two shots all game.

Aston Villa Team News

Unai Emery has no new injury concerns to deal with. There are two long-term injury absentees Tyrone Mings and Emi Buendia due to knee surgeries. Bertrand Traore is doubtful on the wing. It could be an unchanged XI despite the draining nature of the win vs Man City.

Matty Cash and Moussa Diaby are set to remain amongst the subs with Ezri Konsa playing at right back. It could again be a 4-4-1-1 system with Youri Tielemans playing a more advanced role. Jacob Remsey is fit to feature but it’s unlikely that he will start this one.

Aston Villa Motivation

Villa are flying at home and feels unstoppable. They will take the game to Arsenal at Villa Park and try to make it 15 wins on the bounce.

Emery’s team will attack the Gunners and look for three points but a draw is not a bad result in isolation.

Arsenal Form

The Gunners sit top of the table with a two-point lead over Liverpool in second. After losing successive matches at the start of November – 3-1 at West Ham in the Carabao Cup and 1-0 at Newcastle in the league – they’ve won six on the bounce since then. Arsenal beat Sevilla 2-0 and Lens 6-0 at home to secure the top spot with a game to spare in their Champions’ League group.

In the league, a 3-1 home win over Burnley preceded a late 1-0 win at Brentford. A 2-1 win over Wolves was much more comfortable than the scoreline suggests. In midweek, they needed a 97th-minute winner to secure three points in dramatic fashion in a 4-3 victory at Luton.

Arsenal Team News

Jurrien Timber is out long-term and Takehiro Tomiyasu faces six weeks on the sidelines too. There could be one change in defence with Oleksandr Zinchenko returning at left back to replace Jakub Kiwior.

Three midfielders remain absent Thomas Partey, Emile Smith Rowe, and Fabio Vieira. Arteta is not expected to tinker with any position other than left back with options a bit lacking right now. One possibility is Aaron Ramsdale replacing the error-prone David Raya.

Arsenal Motivation

Arsenal will know the difficulty of this match. They will go to Villa Park and look to win the match.

Expect Arteta’s side to focus heavily on possession and trying to control the game. They will make provisions for the pace on the break of Watkins and Bailey.

Key Stats

Aston Villa have won 14 home EPL matches in a row

Aston Villa’s Watkins has scored 11 goals in his last 16 home EPL matches

Arsenal have won their last 6 matches (17 goals scored)

Arsenal have won 3 of their last 7 away matches (LDWLLWW)

Arsenal have the joint-best defensive record in the league (14 conceded)

Verdict

This should be a very intriguing game. We should see both teams on target and any of the three results are possible. Arsenal have enough to at least end Villa’s winning streak with a point.

Best Bet: Both Teams to Score at 1.54
Value Bet: Draw at 3.55
Alternative Bet: Arsenal win/draw double chance + Over 1.5 goals at 1.62

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis