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The Premier League is in full swing as Aston Villa welcomes Arsenal for their home opener. We're live from Villa Park in Birmingham, sharing our Premier League odds series and making an Aston Villa-Arsenal prediction and pick.
Aston Villa defeated West Ham United 2-1 in their Premier League opener. They struck early as Amadou Onana delivered a beautiful header off a great play from Youri Tielmans to give Aston Villa the early lead in the fourth minute. However, Leon Bailey suffered a yellow card. Aston Villa allowed West Ham to tie the match in the 37th minute as they allowed Lucas Paqueta to convert a penalty kick. But the Lions sealed the deal in the 79th minute when Jhan Duran finished things with a beautiful strike off an assist from Jacob Ramsey. Subsequently, they held on despite a yellow card from Jaden Philogene.
Aston Villa finished with 13 shots, including three that hit the target. Additionally, they had an 88-percent passing accuracy rate and a 49-percent possession rate. The Lions also had three corner-kick chances.
Arsenal displayed their new-look uniforms proudly by defeating the Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 in their opener. Kai Havertz came off a majestic assist from Bukayo Saka to give the Gunners the 1-0 lead in the 25th minute. Later, Saka took a yellow card in the 60th minute. But he redeemed himself in the 70th minute when he came off a wonderful assist to Havertz to convert the second goal. Consequently, Gabriel Jesus suffered a yellow card. But Arsenal did not break down and held on for a win.
The Gunners finished with 13 shots, including six that hit the target. Furthermore, they established a 91-percent pass accuracy and a 53-percent possession rate. Arsenal also finished with a 53-percent possession rate. Likewise, they had eight corner-kick chances.
Aston Villa swept the series last season, winning 2-0 on the road and 1-0 at home. But Arsenal had won the previous four and look to get back in the win column here.
Here are the Premier League odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Premier League Odds: Aston Villa-Arsenal Odds
Aston Villa: +330
Arsenal: -125
Draw: +280
Over 2.5 goals: -150
Under 2.5 goals: +11
How to Watch Aston Villa vs. Arsenal
Time: 12:30 PM ET/9:30 PM PT
TV: NBC and USA Sports
Stream: fuboTV (Click Here for Free Trial)
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Why Aston Villa Will Win
Aston Villa did enough to win and now will need to continue the momentum they built in the first one to sustain a chance. Therefore, they need their forwards and midfielders to continue playing well.
Morgan Rogers paced the forwards with two shots, including one on target and 23 passes. Likewise, Duran finished with one goal on two shots, including one on target and 12 passes.
Tielmans was a star for the midfielders with one assist, one shot, and 47 passes. Also, Onana finished with one goal on his only shot with 33 passes. Leon Bailey finished with three shots, but none hit the target.
The defense did enough to win. Matty Cash led the defensemen with six clears and an interception. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez finished with three saves and conceded one goal.
Aston Villa will win this match if they can strike fast and often. Ultimately, they need to apply pressure on Arsenal and not allow the Gunners to have a fighting chance.
Why Arsenal Will Win
The Gunners have a golden opportunity to build momentum early in the season to sustain themselves at the top of the Premier League. To do that, they must continue generating scoring chances.
Havertz and Saka were golden, passing the ball to each other for respective goals. Overall, both were exceptional. Havertz finished with one goal and one assist on four shots, including one that hit the target and 18 passes. Meanwhile, Saka finished with one goal, one assist, and four shots, with three on-target and 20 passes.
Martin Odegaard led the midfielders with one shot and 36 passes. Likewise, Thomas Partey ended the match with one shot and 32 passes. Declan Rice was efficient, with one shoot and 29 passes.
The defense showed why they are one of the best in the Premier League. William Saliba was great, with four tackles and seven clears. Ultimately, he made things easier for goalkeeper David Raya, who stopped all three shots he faced.
Arsenal will win this match if Havertz and Saka can continue playing at an elite level. Then, they need another solid game from the defense to prevent any opportunities.
Final Aston Villa-Arsenal Prediction & Pick
Aston Villa played well in their opener. However, Arsenal is an entirely different beast. Overcoming the Lions would be a fantastic accomplishment, and they did it twice last season. But Arsenal seems better than ever and more intimidating as well. It does not seem like it's on the docket. We can see Arsenal winning a hard-earned match on the road, with the score probably being 2-1. Arsenal wins this matchup.
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Final Aston Villa-Arsenal Prediction & Pick: Arsenal (-125)
