After enduring defeats from champions Manchester City, Arsenal (16-3-3) and Aston Villa (8-4-10) look to bounce back with three points in the first match of Matchweek 24. Check out our Premier League odds series, featuring our Aston Villa-Arsenal prediction and pick.
The Gunners are fresh off of a 3-1 defeat from Manchester City last time out. They are tied with the Blues in points, but Man City is on top with a greater goal differential.
The Lions enter the week in 11th place with 28 points. Coming off from a 3-1 defeat against Manchester City, Unai Emery’s squad look to snatch three points to get them 13 points ahead of relegation.
Here are the Aston Villa-Arsenal soccer odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Premier League Odds: Aston Villa-Arsenal Odds
Aston Villa: +350
Arsenal: -125
Draw: +270
Over 2.5 Goals: -104
Under 2.5 Goals: -118
How to Watch Aston Villa vs. Arsenal
TV: NBC Sports, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Universo, USA Network
Stream: fuboTV, SiriusXM FC, Universo Now
Time: 7:30 AM ET / 4:30 AM PT
*Watch soccer LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Aston Villa Can Beat Arsenal
Aston Villa are currently in 11th place in the Premier League standings, picking up eight wins, four draws, and 10 losses across 21 matches. After big boss Steven Gerrard was sacked, the Lions have seen improvements under Unai Emery this season. While Villa secured just two wins of their 12 initial EPL fixtures of the 2022-2023 campaign, the former Villarreal boss and Arsenal manager picked up five wins, a draw, and just three losses in nine games. Aston Villa is now seven spots and 10 points ahead of Everton, Bournemouth, and Southampton.
Ollie Watkins scored a consolation goal against Pep Guardiola’s troops who had Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan, and Riyad Mahrez score three first-half goals. Watkins also scored a nine-minute goal in the Villans' previous fixture with Leicester City. A James Maddison equalizer and a Harry Soutar own goal kept things tight for Villa, but Kelechi Iheanacho, Tete, and Dennis Praet scored three more goals for the Foxes to secure the three points. Aston Villa has just won back-to-back games once this season and they need a response in this clash after losing their last two matches.
Villa may soon enjoy a healthy squad, as Diego Carlos, Jed Steer, Bertrand Traore, and Tyrone Mings are still working their ways from injury recovery. However, eager to put Aston Villa into the top half of the league, Emery will take advantage of Arsenal’s recently shattered confidence and push an upset. To make this happen, Emery must work his way to increase Villa's goal-scoring opportunities, as they have only found the back of the net 26 times while conceding 34.
Why Arsenal Can Beat Aston Villa
Arsenal also suffered an identical 3-1 beating at the hands of the champions on Wednesday night. The exciting match at the Emirates knocked the Gunners off the top of the Premier League. They are now second with a +26 goal differential across 22 games.
The Gunners had a remarkable run to start the year, going four games unbeaten. However, the Gunners endured a blip when they faced City in the FA Cup, which was followed by a tragic result at Goodison Park and a 1-1 draw against Brentford. The fate of the title lies still in the hands of the Gunners, as a point or three in this fixture might give them the top spot again before Man City tackle Nottingham Forest in the afternoon.
Nevertheless, Arsenal still travel to Villa Park as the Prem's best-performing away team this term. The Gunners concede a joint-low seven goals while playing away and have 25 points earned from eight wins, one draw, and two losses. Arsenal also has a three-game winning streak against Villa that stretches back to October 2021.
Mikel Arteta will have to endure the absence of Thomas Partey, Emile Smith Rowe, Mohamed Elneny, and Gabriel Jesus. Takehiro Tomiyasu will be vacating his role as starting defender to Ben White. New acquisitions Leandro Trossard and Jorginho might also see time as part of the starting XI.
Final Aston Villa-Arsenal Prediction & Pick
Aston Villa will try to hold their ground and keep this game an interesting one. Unai Emery certainly has the guts to pull an upset against his former squad, but lackadaisical performances on the offensive end were not really seen in Villa's recent fixtures. Arsenal remains a lethal team while playing away and they are geared to earn their first win this February. Back the Gunners in what seems a low-scoring game.
Final Aston Villa-Arsenal Prediction & Pick: Arsenal (-125), Under 2.5 goals (-118)
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