Premier League: Arsenal Gunning For Stumbling Villa

Arsenal vs Aston Villa

Premier League action returns to the Emirates on Sunday evening when Dean Smith takes his Aston Villa on a trip to North London to face Arsenal.

These two teams are locked together on 12 points with Villa in eighth and the Gunners in ninth, but they are heading in different directions.

After a superb start to the season, the Villans have suffered back-to-back defeats, while Arsenal have just won three on the bounce in all competitions.

The Gunners won’t be taking anything for granted against a team which has been scoring for fun, including a 7-2 hammering of Liverpool.

But Mikel Arteta’s side has a growing confidence instilled by their manager and they should have enough quality to continue their winning run.

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Talking Points

Gabriel gives Arsenal wings

Arteta is making real progress at the Emirates and the Premier League 2020 betting odds have responded as the Gunners are now seen as the fifth favourites to win the title at odds of 26.00 with SBOTOP.

Victory away to Manchester United ended an unwanted record of 27 consecutive away games to ‘Big Six’ teams without a win. That result and the habit of picking up silverware, which Arteta has returned to the Emirates, has Arsenal fans smiling again.

Over the past three seasons, the Premier League ever-presents have had some of the best attacking talent in the country, with skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang constantly among the top scorers.

But they have been playing in fear of a defensive howler spoiling their chances and that worry seems to have all but disappeared.

Their summer signing in Brazilian centre-back Gabriel is looking like a steal at £25-M as he starred in six of the Gunners’ seven games so far and scoring a goal on his debut.

He was outstanding in Arsenal’s victory at Old Trafford, putting in a man-of-the-match performance as he snuffed out the Red Devils’ attacking threat.

With Bernd Leno a calming presence in goal and Granit Xhaka back to his best in midfield, the Gunners are developing a strong spine which allows Aubemeyang and top scorer Alexandre Lacazette to thrive.

McGinn so crucial for Villa

Four wins from four games for Aston Villa grabbed the Premier League 2020 news headlines a few weeks ago as Dean Smith’s side battled with Everton for top spot.

It was a fantastic start to the new season for the team which escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth last term.

So what has changed?

Well, Jack Grealish — who their captain and a mad Villa fan — pretty much saved his beloved team single-handedly last season and he’s started this campaign in great form by scoring four goals and making four assists.

There’s also the shrewd signing of Ross Barkley, who was a fringe player at Chelsea, and he adds Premier League experience and a direct threat for Villa.

But it’s the return of creative midfielder John McGinn which made Villa a much better team at the start of this season.

Aston Villa will be looking to return to winning ways as they face Arsenal in Premier League — John McGinn’s return from long injury last season has taken some of the pressure off from Jack Grealish

The Scottish international joined the club from Hibernian in 2018 and was a key player in Villa’s promotion, making 10 assists and scoring six goals during the 2018/19 campaign.

He settled easily into Premier League life as the team’s most dangerous attacking threat up until he was injured midway through the season.

Villa slid down the league and looked doomed. If they had been relegated, surely McGinn and Grealish would have been planning their way out.

But now McGinn looks set to pen a long-term deal to stay in the Midlands and he has already made four assists this term.

While Grealish tends to grab the headlines, if I was an Arsenal defender, I’d be keeping a close eye on McGinn.

History

The head-to-heads are heavily in the Gunners’ favour, having won 29 of the last 50 games with Villa winning seven and there have been 14 draws.

Smith’s battlers beat Arsenal 1-0 in their penultimate game of the 2019/20 season when they looked all but relegated, and he’ll remind them of how they fought that day before they emerge from the tunnel on Sunday.

The corresponding fixture at the Emirates saw Arsenal win 3-2, which made it three unbeaten at home against Villa.

Betting Tip

	Arsenal vs Aston Villa	Total Goals 2-3 @ 2.03
	November 9, 03:15 (GMT+8)

At odds of 1.69 to win, I expect Arsenal to continue that run, while the draw is at 3.59 and the Villans are at 4.55.

The Gunners are hoping to bring the glory days back for their fans who have suffered for a while, and it’s the solid and well-organised look about Arteta’s team which allows the flair players to flourish.

As Liverpool will testify, you can’t be sure about what you’ll get from Villa. However, I don’t expect a rush of goals – maybe a 2-0 or a 2-1.