Premier League: Aston Villa Will Shoot Their Shot Against the Gunners

Aston Villa vs Arsenal

Aston Villa and Arsenal are planning to get back to winning ways following their most recent losses here in the Premier League.

The Gunners saw their win streak halted by the Reds yesterday in what was a crucial midweek capital clash. Meanwhile, the Villans were unable to win against the Hammers at the London Stadium last Sunday.

Those defeats were tough since both sides have high aspirations to make it back to Europe – with Arsenal gunning for a Champions League top four spot while Aston Villa trying to make it to, probably, the Europa Conference League.

Mikel Arteta’s side is at fourth but fifth-seeded Manchester United are right behind them within a point, while Steven Gerrard’s men are at ninth with 36 points.

Steven Gerrard and Mikel Arteta have shared countless battles back in their playing days. And now they’ll go toe-to-toe anew, albeit on a managerial capacity for the first time ever.

Talking Points

Injury concerns for Aston Villa

Unlike in previous games, Steven Gerrard will face a selection headache ahead of this match.

Steven Gerrard is optimistic that Douglas Luiz and Calum Chambers are both available as the pair have both been stitched up after taking shots at the mouth and ear respectively against the Hammers. Meanwhile, Lucas Digne is likely to be sidelined for a few weeks.

Digne, who arrived from Everton last January, was seen clutching his hamstring and was forced off the pitch against West Ham United. His absence is going to be a huge blow, and with him unavailable, Ashley Young will take his place at left-back.

Chambers will aim for some retribution at his former club Arsenal given his sporadic playing time there. But he’ll face stiff competition against fellow centre-backs Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings in the starting XI.

Luiz, meanwhile, is also likely to play and he’ll rejoin John McGinn and Jacob Ramsey in the midfield. Up front, Steven Gerrard will have Philippe Coutinho, Danny Ings, and their top scorer Ollie Watkins.

Arsenal dealt with a reality check

Arsenal were the latest victim of Liverpool which has reignited a Premier League title race that was initially going towards Manchester City’s way. The Gunners were expected to lose and they simply lacked the cutting edge against the rampant Reds.

Whereas Arsenal missed their big chances, Liverpool were able to take advantage as Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino unleashed a flurry during the hour mark to secure the victory via a 2-0 scoreline.

It was a tough pill to swallow for the Gunners since they felt that they could upset the Reds given their own win streak that dates back to February.

Now it’s back to the drawing board for Mikel Arteta and we expect a major response from their youngsters – particularly from the trio of Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka, and Martin Odegaard.

History

Aston Villa have won two consecutive league home games against Arsenal. And if they’ll win this weekend, the Villans can be on their way to match their best home stretch against them since 1979 (W4).

However, Arsenal have won 12 league away games against Aston Villa, which is their second-most number of road wins in the competition behind West Ham United (W13).

Arsenal have won four consecutive away games after winning just two of their first eight on the road this season (D1, L5). The Gunners haven’t won five straight on the road since May 2015.

The Gunners their reverse fixture last October as Thomas Partey, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Emile Smith Rowe found the back of the net while Jacob Ramsey scored the consolation goal for Villa.

Current Norwich City manager Dean Smith was at the helm for the Villans at the time.

Betting Tip

In contrast to their reverse fixture, the SBOTOP Premier League 2022 odds predict a close contest. Arsenal are still the favoured side, though, at 2.37 while Aston Villa aren’t far behind at 2.94 and chances for a draw is priced at 3.25 in the 1X2 market.

Both sides can light it up on any given night, so fans and neutrals alike can expect numerous Premier League 2022 highlights from this match – making Over 2.50 @ 1.90 a sound alternative bet.

But in the end, there’s a reason why the Gunners are placed much higher than the Villans. They are serious contenders for a top four spot and they should have enough to shush the crowd at Villa Park with a victory – which is bad news for Manchester United, West Ham United, and Tottenham.

 

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