Arsenal vs Aston Villa: EPL Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

Get ready for the highly anticipated EPL match between Arsenal and Aston Villa with our match preview, odds, and prediction. Stay updated on the latest news and updates from the English Premier League.

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Arsenal vs Aston Villa: EPL Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

Arsenal vs Aston Villa: EPL Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

On Saturday evening, Arsenal will host Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium. They will be coming from an impressive victory against a local arch-rival in the midweek. Will the Gunners be able to win against their former coach? Here are our match analysis and predictions.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

To begin with the home team, Mikel Arteta's Arsenal responded quickly on Wednesday night despite suffering FA Cup heartbreak last weekend at the hands of Manchester United. The Gunners will be looking to build on their midweek comeback, which they achieved with a 2-1 win over archrivals Tottenham, and claim bragging rights for north London.

In addition to looking to end their losing streak of three matches, Arsenal needs some much-needed defensive muscle. In their last seven games across all competitions, Saturday's hosts have only managed one clean sheet. But they came out on top in their August 24th Premier League rematch in the Midlands, winning 2-0.

Regarding the guests, Unai Emery's squad has made a remarkable recovery from Aston Villa, who finished 2024 with just a single Premier League victory. The former Arsenal manager has led his team to a perfect record in their last three games played in all competitions, culminating in last week's tenacious 1-0 away win against Everton.

The visitors on Saturday have rekindled their Champions League pursuit, building on last weekend's FA Cup adventure in which they beat West Ham 2-1. Aston Villa, who came into their most recent trip to the Emirates Stadium in fourth place, will also be feeling a surge of excitement. The last time these two teams met in April of 2024, Emery's squad won 2-0 at Arsenal.

Arsenal x Aston Villa Team News

Last weekend, Brazilian marksman Gabriel Jesus suffered a long-term knee injury while playing against Manchester United. He will be out for a long time. Attacking talisman Bukayo Saka will sit out Saturday night again after undergoing hamstring surgery last month.

You won't see Arsenal's academy product play a role here, even if 17-year-old phenom Ethan Nwaneri is making steady progress towards a first-team comeback. Gabriel Martinelli might start in place of Raheem Sterling in the final third after settling for a bench role against Tottenham earlier in the week.

John McGann, a Scotland international, is still questionable after missing out on a start last week away at Everton. Diego Carlos, a defender for Sevilla, will also sit this one out in north London as he is likely to complete a January transfer away from Villa Park this month.

After scoring twice in his last three Premier League games and grabbing the winner at Goodison Park last week, Ollie Watkins will continue to start up front. Tyrone Mings, who has been outstanding since his comeback last month, will form Emery's central defense with Ezri Konsa.

Our Predictions

Both teams to score @ 1.90 on Sky247.ng

Arsenal will be well aware of the significance of capitalizing on their recent crucial comeback win against arch-rivals Tottenham, which they achieved by a score of 2-1. Nevertheless, Arteta's squad has shown persistent defensive problems, even if they won 2-0 at Villa Park in their August 24th reverse Premier League encounter. Aston Villa may have some questions to ask, considering they have only kept one clean sheet in their last seven matches across all competitions. Their most recent three games have resulted in an aggregate score of 5-2, and nine months ago, they won 2-0 at the Emirates. Saturday's visitors have a similar record.

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