Arsenal vs Aston Villa: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Despite Aston Villa's recent form, their away record in the Premier League is their only blemish, and we believe that could be their undoing on Saturday when they face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Aston Villa have lost five of their previous six matches on the road in the Premier League, failing to score in three of their recent away games.

Following their 2-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal now possess the best home record in the Premier League, with seven wins and three draws from ten league matches - scoring 20 and conceding seven.

The Gunners' home form in the division has been impeccable, with four wins from their last five league matches at the Emirates.

Expect goals for either team in this fixture, as both teams have scored in four of the previous five involving Arsenal and in six of the previous eight matches involving Aston Villa.

We predict a narrow home win for Arsenal against Aston Villa.

Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa

Arsenal will hope to keep the pressure on Liverpool as Unai Emery brings his Aston Villa side to the Emirates for the Saturday evening fixture.

Date: 18/01/2025

Location: Emirates Stadium, London.

Kick-Off: 17:30 pm

Arsenal’s season has taken a monumental swing in the space of seven days, with things not seemingly looking as bleak for the North London side. At the start of the week, Arsenal were beaten by Newcastle United in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at the Emirates by a 2-0 scoreline. The Gunners then suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Manchester United in the FA Cup Third Round, with the Red Devils reduced to ten men for over an hour. However, the recent midweek results, which involved Liverpool dropping points to Nottingham Forest, allowed Arsenal the opportunity to beat Tottenham Hotspur to reduce the points gap at the top to four points. Liverpool still has the game in hand remaining over Arsenal.

Aston Villa have continued their impressive success under Unai Emery this season, with the Villains performing admirably in the UEFA Champions League whilst still chasing a European place in the Premier League. The away side are seventh in the Premier League and only three points behind Newcastle United in fourth place. Aston Villa have obtained 35 points this season, scoring 31 and conceding 32 in the Premier League. Unai Emery’s side can go as high as fourth in the league, but they would require results elsewhere to fall in their favour, should they beat Arsenal at the Emirates.

In the reverse fixture, Aston Villa were defeated by the Gunners in a 2-0 win, thanks to goals from Thomas Partey and Leandro Trossard for Arsenal.

The game will be available to watch on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.

Predicted Arsenal Eleven: Raya, Timber, Gabriel, Saliba, Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Jorginho, Odegaard, Sterling, Trossard, Havertz.

Predicted Aston Villa Eleven: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne, Kamara, Onana, Rogers, Tielemans, Ramsey, Watkins.

The recent history between the two teams suggests that Arsenal will likely come away with a win at the weekend, although Aston Villa have made life difficult for the Gunners in recent years. Arsenal have won three of the last five meetings between the two teams; however, last season, Aston Villa delivered a significant blow to Arsenal’s title chances when the Villains secured a 2-0 win away at the Emirates last April, thanks to goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins. This was the opening fixture for Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium as the game ended 1-1 with goals from Olof Mellberg (Aston Villa) and Gilberto Silva (Arsenal).

Arsenal are in exceptional form in the Premier League coming into this pivotal game against Aston Villa. Since the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United in November, the Gunners are unbeaten in their last 11 Premier League games, with seven wins and four draws - recording 25 points from a possible 33 on offer. Following their 2-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby, Arsenal have now won four of their previous five league games to heap the pressure on league leaders Liverpool.

The home form for the Gunners has been exceptional this season, as Arsenal are unbeaten from ten league games at the Emirates, having last suffered defeat at home in the league back in April. Arsenal have recorded impressive home wins this season against the likes of Manchester United (2-0), Nottingham Forest (3-0) and most recently the 2-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal were the victors in their game against Tottenham Hotspur, thanks to an own goal from Dominic Solanke and an excellent striker from Leandro Trossard.

Aston Villa head into this game in a small patch of excellent form themselves, as Unai Emery’s side are unbeaten in their last three matches in all competitions, following wins against Everton (0-1), West Ham United (2-1) and Leicester City (2-1). Their recent game against Everton posed a difficult challenge, with the Toffees faithful in a buoyant mood following the return of David Moyes. Ollie Watkins rose to the occasion with a striker minutes into the second half at Goodison Park.

Away from home, Unai Emery’s side have shown significant inconsistencies, with only three wins from nine on their travels this season. Aston Villa’s recent away fixture was the win against Everton, but they had previously lost five consecutive away matches in a row, failing to score in three of those five. Aston Villa have suffered away defeats against Newcastle United (3-0), Nottingham Forest (2-1), Chelsea (3-0), Liverpool (2-0) and Tottenham Hotspur (4-1).

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