Aston Villa vs Arsenal Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Aston Villa:
Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Diaby, Luiz, Kamara, McGinn; Tielemans; Watkins
Arsenal:
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli
Aston Villa against Arsenal - this is not a big derby on paper, but the truth is this is a clash between two "hottest" teams at the moment. Nobody was expecting Villa to be so high on the table. Ok, maybe some of their fans, maybe some of the club officials, maybe Unai Emery himself. Just one week ago the Spaniard told the press "there are seven teams better than us - Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Newcastle." Well, he must re-think about that after Wednesday's victory over Manchester City. It was a big result, but something else shocked the experts - Aston Villa outplayed the reigning champions. Like no other team in the last few years. Only 19 of the 281 Premier League games that Man City have played since Guardiola became their manager have seen them have fewer shots than their opponent. But Aston Villa did not just have one more shot than City. They had 20 more. That has never happened before. Not just during Guardiola's time at Man City, but in any of his 535 top-flight games as a manager. This fact have to be respected. Imagine if Aston Vila beat Arsenal here, they will instantly become genuine title pretenders. Emery has three unavailable players as Bertrand Traore, Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings are injured.
Arsenal are first with 36 points, two more than the second placed Liverpool, Arteta's men are in series of four victories in the Premier League. They beat Burnley, Brentford, Wolverhampton and Luton Town, scoring 10 goals in the process. The last match was dramatic as newcomers Luton - team with nothing to lose - showed the teeth. The Hatters took advantage from Raya's mistakes and found the back of the net three times. However, the Gunners responded well through Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Declan Rice, whose last-gasp header seven minutes into stoppage time secured important three points. Arsenal are doing well in Europe too. They have secured the knock-out stage in the Champions League. Arteta has some injury and suspension worries ahead of this match. Guess who is banned - exactly Arteta. He picked up his third yellow card of the season against Luton Town, so Albert Stuivenberg will replace him. Of course, he will receive orders from the boss, before and during the match. Now about the players - Emile Smith Rowe, Fabio Vieira, Thomas Partey and Jurrien Timber are out injured, while Takehiro Tomiyasu is rated as doubtful with a calf injury he sustained against the Wolves.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal Prediction:
This is a genuine derby between two of the three most successful teams in the Premier League this season. It's third against first. The match could go both ways, though I think Arsenal are closer to the victory. The key reason for my pick is the consistency and the depth of the roster. The truth is Aston Villa outplayed Manchester City, but the players had no time for recovery. I think they are tired, and that's the main reason for some of the bad results against small teams - they lost at Nottingham and dropped points against Wolves and Bournemouth. Playing twice a week could be a big problem for some teams, while the other teams are familiar. Arteta has bigger roster and this fact should not be underestimated. At the end I will mention that Arsenal players have one day more to prepare for this match.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal Pick: Arsenal to win @ 2.12 with
Pinnacle