English Premier
2011-12-21 - Aston Villa vs Arsenal
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Wednesday 21 December 2011 - Kick Off 7:45pm
Aston Villa
Aston Villa put in another disappointing performance against one of the better teams in the Premier League as they were beaten by Liverpool at the weekend. There won't be much Christmas cheer provided by their opponents in this game as the fans continue to worry about the state of their club.
Results at the weekend meant Villa dropped down to 10th in the Premier League, having earned 19 points from their opening League games this season. That means they are only 6 points better off than Wigan in the final relegation spot, even though they do have a few teams between themselves and that position. They are 3-2-3 at Villa Park this season, scoring 10 goals and conceding 9.
Goals are becoming a bit of a problem for Villa and they have now failed to score in 4 of their last 5 League games following the 0-2 loss to Liverpool. Aston Villa come into the game having failed to score in their last 2 games at home, both losses, and they have lost 3 of their last 4 at Villa Park.
Stephen Ireland and Darren Bent could both feature having missed the last game through illness, while Gabby Agbonlahor returns from a domestic suspension. Chris Herd looks a major doubt for this game but could return to the squad for the Boxing Day clash at Stoke City.
Arsenal
There is no disgrace in losing at Manchester City, but it looks like being a result that effectively ends Arsenal's chances of winning the Premier League title this season. However, they remain very much in the hunt for a top 4 finish as they look to bounce back from that defeat on Sunday.
Arsenal are 5th in the Premier League and have gained 29 points so far this season, 3 less than Chelsea who occupy the final Champions League spot at this moment. They are 3-1-4 away from home where they have scored 17 goals and conceding 19- that means Arsenal have the joint worst away defence in the League with Blackburn Rovers, although only Manchester City have scored more goals on their travels.
There has always been something to be said about gaining momentum, and it does seem like Arsenal may have lost some in recent games. They have won 2 of their last 6 games in all competitions, being beaten 3 times, although at least a couple of those losses were with weakened teams. Arsenal had won their previous 3 away games in the Premier League before losing at City on Sunday.
Arsene Wenger has a very long injury list to deal with in this game as Andre Santos, Bacary Sagna, Carl Jenkinson, Jack Wilshire, Abou Diaby and Alex Song are definitely ruled out, while Kieran Gibbs and Johan Djourou are major doubts.
Head to Head
Arsenal do not have the greatest of records against Aston Villa, although they have had more success at Villa Park in recent years than they do at the Emirates Stadium.
Villa have actually only lost 1 of their last 5 games at Arsenal, but they have failed to beat them at Villa Park on the last 12 occasions they have met.
Arsenal won this fixture 2-4 last season, but they had drawn on their previous 2 visits.
Prediction
This is a tough game for Arsenal to come into after their big efforts on Sunday and the defensive problems are a big concern for them as another player, Johan Djourou, enters the treatment room.
The Gunners have been playing well away from home in recent games before that loss to City, but they may face a tough ask here as Aston Villa have their best forwards back in action on Wednesday night.
The lack of goals in the Villa side has been a concern, but the return of Gabby Agbonlahor and the likely return of Darren Bent will at least give them more of a threat going forward.
Arsenal did give up a lot of chances in the game against Manchester City and I can see Villa's pace in the forward line giving them some problems. The odds on quotes for an Arsenal win look far too short for me considering they have won just half of their 6 visits to this ground.
I am going to have a small interest in this game finishing in a draw- Villa have earned the most draws in the Premier League this season and I just have a feeling Arsenal could be a little tired after all their efforts on Sunday.
In saying that, Arsenal do have the more match winners, but I will back the draw in anticipation of the defence letting Arsenal down.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Aston Villa 1-1 Arsenal
