Aston Villa vs Arsenal prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-12-08 17:30.
[p]Aston Villa proved to be the latest thorn in Manchester City’s side as they defeated the treble holders 1-0 on Wednesday night, a stunning result which extended their Premier League (PL) home winning run to 14 games. Perhaps more importantly, that win put the Villans above Manchester City in third place, meaning they are undeniably in the title race at this stage, sitting just four points behind leaders Arsenal.[/p]
[p]Winning by just a goal seems to be the exception rather than the rule as far as Villa’s home winning run is concerned, as each of the eight wins prior to Wednesday saw them net at least twice, whilst each of the last six were accompanied by multi-goal margins. This particular game has an extra layer of spice for Villa boss Unai Emery, who was sacked as Arsenal manager in 2019, but remains unbeaten in four of his five career meetings against his former employers (W1, D3, L1). [/p]
[p]Arsenal will be without suspended boss Mikel Arteta in the dugout following his rambunctious celebrations in their dramatic 4-3 victory over Luton in midweek. That seems a small price to pay for an outpouring of emotion after becoming the first team in PL history to score five winners on or beyond the 90th minute in one calendar year, while also maintaining their spot at the summit of the table.[/p]
[p]Heated debates have since arisen around whether floundering keeper David Raya should be dropped for Aaron Ramsdale, although Arteta himself will remain focused on extending their excellent six-game competitive winning streak. Another away game awaits Arsenal and whilst they travel on the back of consecutive away wins, a return of just three successes across their latest seven trips perhaps raises some doubts (D1, L3) about whether the Gunners can record a third straight win at Villa Park. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Aston Villa’s leading PL scorer, Ollie Watkins (G8), enjoys playing against Arsenal with a healthy return of four goals across his last six PL H2Hs. As for Arsenal, Declan Rice became only their third player to score two PL winners on or beyond the 90th minute in a single campaign. His goal against Luton came on 96:23, Arsenal’s latest ever winning goal in a PL away game![/p]
[p]Hot stat: None of the last 16 meetings between these sides ended level (AVL: W4, L12).[/p]