English Premier
2021-10-22 - Arsenal vs Aston Villa
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Friday 22nd October 2021 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Arsenal
The late equaliser will have been celebrated with joy on Monday night, but Arsenal fans may have felt different in the cold light of day. A 2-2 home draw with Crystal Palace will be seen as two points dropped and Arsenal cannot afford to have the same happen when they open the next round of Premier League fixtures.
The results over the last weekend have left Arsenal in 12th place in the Premier League table, but the 11 points on the board means they are still firmly in touch with the teams in the European places. The Gunners have a 2-1-1 record at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League where they have scored 6 goals and conceded 5.
Arsenal are unbeaten in 6 games in all competitions, but they had won 4 in a row before drawing with Brighton and Crystal Palace either side of the October internationals. They had won 3 in a row at the Emirates Stadium in all competitions before the draw with Crystal Palace here earlier in the week.
Granit Xhaka is going to miss out, while Bukayo Saka is a doubt.
Aston Villa
Dean Smith would have been pleased by what he had seen for 80 minutes from his Aston Villa team last weekend, but his mood would have soured significantly at the end of the match. A 2-0 lead ended up in a 2-3 defeat to rivals Wolves and the manager is still trying to get a consistent rhythm out of his squad.
The new additions are taking a little bit of time to settle in at Villa Park and Aston Villa have fallen to 13th in the Premier League table with 10 points on the board. The Villains have a 1-0-3 record away from home where they have scored 4 goals and conceded 8.
Aston Villa have won 1 of their last 4 games in all competitions and they have lost back to back Premier League fixtures against Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves. There has to be a slight concern with the away form in the Premier League as Aston Villa have lost 6 of their last 10 on their travels in this Division.
Bertrand Traore and Keinan Davis are expected to miss out, while Matty Cash and Leon Bailey are going to need late fitness tests to be involved.
Head to Head
Aston Villa did the Premier League double over Arsenal last season.
Arsenal had previously won 3 home games in a row against Aston Villa, but they were thumped 0-3 here in November 2020.
Prediction
The short turnaround between the Monday night Premier League game and the Friday night fixture at the Emirates Stadium is far from ideal for Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal team. They will have had a lot less time than Aston Villa to prepare for the game, but Arsenal may have a little momentum having scored very late in the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.
That is still a result where Arsenal will feel they have dropped points, but they have been showing some positive signs in recent home games. A lack of goals has been a slight concern, but Arsenal have now managed 5 goals in the last 2 Premier League games at the Emirates Stadium and they are going up against an Aston Villa defence which has looked incredibly vulnerable.
It was a vulnerability that was clear to see in Aston Villa's 2-3 home loss to Wolves last Saturday and they also gave up some big chances to Tottenham Hotspur in a 2-1 defeat in North London earlier this month. Unsurprisingly this is a team that has created chances of their own going forward, but Aston Villa may not have it easy at an Arsenal team that have shown some sign of improvement from the early season form.
Aston Villa did the League double over Arsenal last season, but they are both fixtures in which Mikel Arteta will feel his team were hard done by.
The first goal is going to be important in this game with two teams that can lack some confidence, but I do think home advantage is going to be key for Arsenal. They have been much more positive performances in both the attacking the defensive third in recent games at the Emirates Stadium in favour of Arsenal and they will feel this opponent is one that will struggle to contain the chances.
Before the defeat a little under twelve months ago, Arsenal had won 3 in a row at home against Aston Villa and the belief is that they are playing the slightly more consistent football of the two teams. It won't come easy, but Arsenal may have just enough to secure a vital three points to keep the progression moving in a positive direction.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa
BEST BETTING TIP :
I'll back Arsenal to Win at 1.95 with BetFred
