Arsenal are hot on the heels of the Premier League leaders after a big win over second place Manchester City on Sunday. They have now won three straight and are gunning for one more when they welcome Aston Villa to Emirates Stadium on February 1.
Can the Gunners keep their impressive form? Read on as we give you everything you need to know heading into this matchup.
Want some more from the best league in the world? Check out our complete previews for the Chelsea vs. Man City and West Ham vs. Liverpool.
[sc:Soccer ]Aston Villa vs. Arsenal Preview
Where: Emirates Stadium, London
When: Sunday, February 1, 8:30 AM ET
Line: Aston Villa at Arsenal – view all EPL lines
What’s at Stake
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Arsenal currently sit at fifth place with 39 points in the Premier League standings. A win here would be crucial as Arsenal are currently three points shy of the third place slot held by Southampton. Meanwhile, Aston Villa are 15th in the league with 22 points. Getting at least a point is critical in order to keep them away from the relegation zone.
Betting on Aston Villa
Aston Villa find themselves in quite a bind. They have not tasted victory in their last seven league games. What’s even more concerning is their inability to find the back of the net. Villa has not scored a goal in their last 522 minutes in the Premier League.
Despite being kept out of the scoresheet against Liverpool, Villa managed to outshoot Liverpool 15-12. Five of their shots (two on target) came from forward Christian Benteke. He owns the last goal Villa have scored over the past six games, which opened the scoring in a 1-1 tie against Manchester United on December 20. Meanwhile, Villa’s leading goal-scorers Gabriel Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann, who have three each, both have not figured in a goal since November.
Still, Villa’s attackers have a chance of breaking their scoring slump at Emirates Stadium. Arsenal have conceded a goal in six of their nine home games thus far.
A goal could be enough to give Villa at least a point given their decent defensive record away from home. They haven’t given up more than one away goal in their last six games, but they’ve won just one of those games (1-3-2). They’ve lost their last three away games 1-0.
Betting on Arsenal
Arsenal’s talented midfield was again on display in their 2-0 win at the Etihad on Sunday. This time, it did not come from their leading goal-scorer Alexis Sanchez (12 goals). Instead, it was Santi Cazorla’s day to shine. Cazorla opened the scoring through a penalty kick and set up Olivier Giroud’s sixth goal of the season to ice the game.
What makes the win even more impressive was Arsenal only had possession of the ball 35 percent of the time and were outshot 12-9. Still, they managed with what they had due to excellent defense as of late. The Gunners’ goalkeeper David Ospina has kept three-straight clean sheets heading into this matchup against Aston Villa.
The Gunners already met Aston Villa at Villa Park in September 2014. They scored three goals in 192 seconds in the first half and kept a clean sheet as they cruised to a 3-0 win. Sanchez was on the bench in that game and didn’t even take the field. If he starts on Sunday, then the Gunners will have two of their best offensive weapons in Sanchez and Cazorla on the pitch.
Sanchez’s playmaking has been excellent for Arsenal this season. If he doesn’t score his fair share of goals, he creates opportunities for his teammates. He leads Arsenal with seven assists this season. His main target, Giroud, has sported a hot boot as of late, netting four goals in his last five Premier League matches.
Arsenal are 4-1-1 in their last six games against Villa.
Writer’s Prediction
Arsenal shine once again in a 3-1 win. Score some goals of your own. All you have to do is create a betting account now and earn big bucks on the biggest soccer games around the world.
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