Arsenal vs Aston Villa: Betting tips and full match preview

Imago Ollie Watkins could prove the thorn in the side of Arsenal yet again — *Imago* Ollie Watkins could prove the thorn in the side of Arsenal yet again

Arsenal state of play

Arsenal returned to winning ways in the north London derby midweek, but it was hardly a vintage display. The equaliser came with more than a slice of fortune – what should have been a goal kick turned into a corner, and Gabriel's header needed two deflections before going in.

Still, the result ended a three-game winless streak and helped ease the sting of their FA Cup penalty shootout loss to Manchester United. Crucially, it reignited their Premier League title challenge, closing the gap to just four points at the top after Liverpool slipped up.

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Although they boast the league’s meanest defence, if they want to continue their title push, they’ll hope to avoid conceding the first goal as they have done in five of their last eight matches - keeping just one clean sheet in that period of time.

Aston Villa state of play

Aston Villa looked to be in crisis after an eight-game winless streak (D3 L5), but Unai Emery seems to have turned things around. With seven wins in their last 10 matches, Villa are just four points shy of the top four and back in the hunt for a Champions League spot.

The partnership of Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers has been crucial during that run, chipping in with 13 goal contributions between them. But much like Arsenal, they've been poor at the back recently. Only Southampton and Everton – the worst and second-worst attacks in the league respectively – have failed to score against them in their last 11 games.

Key talking point: Can Unai Emery frustrate his former club again?

Emery has a habit of frustrating Arsenal, the club that sacked him in 2019. Since then, he’s faced the Gunners five times and beat them on three occasions. His first win was a Europa League semi-final victory with Villarreal, while his Villa side have beaten them twice in the league.

And Arsenal's reliance on comebacks in recent weeks could play right into his hands, having conceded first in three of their last five wins. I'm not sure an attack as ruthless as Villa's will be as forgiving. At odds of 11/2, an away win looks like excellent value.

FIRST’s top tip for Arsenal vs Aston Villa

Aston Villa to win at 11/2 with BetMGM

Extra tips

Ollie Watkins to score anytime at 5/2 with BetMGM

Watkins has a strong record against Arsenal, scoring five goals in nine league games – his joint-most against any club. He also got on the scoresheet in Villa’s last win at the Emirates Stadium. With nine league goals already this season, he’s a strong pick to find the net again.

Both teams to score at 4/5 with BetMGM

With both sides struggling at the back right now, this market looks especially appealing. Although both teams to score hasn’t landed in their last three head-to-heads, there’s been just one clean sheet between them across their last five matches combined.

Team news

Arsenal remain without Gabriel Jesus, who is out for the season with an ACL injury. The Brazilian joins Bukayo Saka, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ethan Nwaneri and Riccardo Calafiori on the treatment table. Although Ben White is now reportedly back in training.

The out-of-form Kai Havertz is likely to lead the line again, while Gabriel Martinelli could return to the starting XI after Raheem Sterling’s underwhelming showing against Spurs.

Aston Villa are missing Pau Torres, Ross Barkley, John McGinn, and Diego Carlos for the trip to the Emirates.

Jhon Duran was an unused substitute against Everton after serving his three-match suspension but will likely start on the bench again. New signing Donyell Malen – an Arsenal academy graduate – could make his Villa debut this weekend.