Arsenal vs Aston Villa predictions: Unai’s aces can stand firm

Steve Davies

Spotlight

Aston Villa skipper John McGinn scored the only goal when these sides met in December.

- Arsenal are top of the Premier League and highest scorers
- Villa have won one of their last five top-flight matches
- Recommended bet: Tie or Aston Villa Double Chance

Ex-Arsenal boss Unai Emery gets a chance to derail his former side’s Premier League title hopes in the game of the weekend on Sunday.

Aston Villa, chasing fourth place and a return to the Champions League, are no pushovers and Arsenal, bruised by failing to beat Bayern Munich on Tuesday night, will need to be careful.

Team news

Mikel Arteta can tweak his team but has a near full squad to choose from.

Emery does have alterations to make with Douglas Luiz suspended and presumably John McGinn dropping back to partner Youri Tielemans in a 4-2-3-1.

Moussa Diaby should be handed the No.10 slot off Ollie Watkins while Jacob Ramsey remains out.

The latest Arsenal vs Aston Villa odds are available on LiveScore Bet

The stats

Arsenal are unbeaten in eight games and have taken 31 points out of their last possible 33 in the Premier League.

They have kept seven clean sheets in those 11 games.

The Gunners have found the net in the first half of each of their last seven home games.

Just nine of Villa’s 32 league games have produced two goals or less.

Mikel Arteta knows Arsenal cannot afford any slip ups in the title race.

Prediction

Unai Emery has proved he is a capable and clever coach, which means he should have drummed into his team that there cannot be any repeat of last week’s second-half display against Brentford.

Emery was livid as he watched a 2-0 lead become a 3-2 deficit before habitual saviour Ollie Watkins came to his rescue with a late leveller against the Bees.

It was a rare period of concentration lapses from the Villans and on the assumption it doesn’t happen again, they are a big price at Arsenal.

The Gunners are obviously flying on a run of 11 wins in 14 in all competitions, but they failed to beat a struggling Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday and are too short to beat a decent Villa side.

Villa are handicapped by the absence of Douglas Luiz but former Arsenal boss Emery has already masterminded a 1-0 win over the Gunners on home soil this season, and can frustrate Mikel Arteta’s men in the return fixture.

These are tense times at the top of the league and there will be twists and turns between now and the prizes being handed out.

Villa have beaten Man City as well as Arsenal this season and are worth trusting, at a fancy price, to avoid defeat at The Emirates.

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