Will the Gunners stay on course for the Champions League?
Arsenal admittedly lost the catch-up game against Liverpool with 0:2 during the week and experienced a small setback after winning five league games in a row. Overall, however, the Gunners, who have played two games less than their pursuers, are still fully on course for the Champions League in fourth place in the table.
With a three-pointer at Villa Park, the Gunners could extend their lead over Manchester United to four points. The Londoners have recently won four away games in a row in the Premier League, which is why the odds are swinging towards the visitors ahead of the clash between Aston Villa and Arsenal.
While it should be noted that Arsenal have only managed more Premier League away wins at West Ham (13) than at Aston Villa (12) so far. However, the Gunners have lost both of their last two guest games at Villa Park with 0:1, which is why it is by no means a no-brainer to play Aston Villa vs Arsenal tip 2.
Instead, also in view of the stable defense on both sides, it is a good idea to bet on a maximum of one team scoring in this game.
Aston Villa – Statistics & current form
Also looking ahead to the 2021/22 Champions League quarterfinals, which will once again feature three Premier League representatives, there is often talk of the dominance of English teams. In fact, however, in addition to Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United, only two other teams from England have won the trophy so far.
Along with Nottingham Forest, that’s Aston Villa Football Club, which held its own in 1982. This makes the Lions, who have also won seven national championships, one of the country’s flagship teams, although Villa have not been at the top for a long time.
Twelve points off a European starting spot
For a long time, though, the 2021/22 season looked like it could be the first time since the 2010/11 season that the Villans, who played only in the Championship between 2016 and 2019, could play internationally. However, as ninth in the table, the Lions have recently lost touch with the European starting places.
Villa are currently twelve points off seventh place, which could possibly take them into the Conference League. With ten games left to play, that’s unlikely to be made up, leaving the Birmingham-based club a bit deflated.
Won three of last four league games to nil
The Villans, who have won three of their last four league games to nil, will still be looking to build on their recent run against the Gunners, who they have beaten 1-0 in two consecutive home Premier League games.
Considering that Philippe Coutinho, who has been closely linked with the Lions’ resurgence, is also particularly fond of scoring against the Londoners, it is at least not out of the question that Aston Villa vs Arsenal tip 1 will work out. However, because none of the last eight league games could be won in which there was at least one goal conceded, the focus must initially be on the defensive work.
Predicted lineup of Aston Villa:
Martínez – Digne – Mings – Chambers – Cash – Ramsey – Luiz – McGinn – Coutinho – Ings – Watkins
Last matches played by Aston Villa:
Premier League
03/13 2022 – West Ham 2 – 1 Aston Villa
03/10 2022 – Leeds 0 – 3 Aston Villa
03/05 2022 – Aston Villa 4 – 0 Southampton
02/26 2022 – Brighton 0 – 2 Aston Villa
02/19 2022 – Aston Villa 0 – 1 Watford
Arsenal – Statistics & current form
Arsenal Football Club initially got off to an even worse start to the season after a disappointing eighth-place finish in pre-season, which saw the Gunners spend two matchdays in a direct relegation spot and even spend a week holding the red lantern after a 5-0 defeat at Manchester City.
However, instead of making a quick fix and readjusting the coaching staff, those responsible placed their trust in Mikel Arteta. A decision that paid off. On matchday 19, the Londoners climbed to fourth place for the first time.
After complicated years, back on Champions League course
Currently, Arsenal holds a one-point lead over English record champions Manchester United in fifth place. The big bonus for the Gunners is that the Arteta eleven has played two games less than the Red Devils so far, which could increase the lead to as many as seven points.
Accordingly, this guest game at Villa Park is important, where the Gunners celebrated their second most Premier League away victories of all time – twelve in number (only West Ham had 13 away wins so far).
Won all of their last four Premier League away games
The Londoners bring a lot of momentum with them to Birmingham. True, there was the aforementioned 0:2 home defeat against an in-form Liverpool during the week. Before that, however, the Gunners celebrated five wins in a row in league play. Moreover, the last four Premier League away games in a row were all won.
Accordingly, Mikel Arteta’s side will travel to Villa Park on Saturday favored.
Predicted Arsenal lineup:
Ramsdale – Tierney – Magalhaes – White – Soares – Xhaka – Partey – Martinelli – Ödegaard – Saka – Lacazette
Last Arsenal games:
Premier League
03/16 2022 – Arsenal FC 0 – 2 Liverpool FC
03/13 2022 – Arsenal FC 2 – 0 Leicester
03/06 2022 – Watford 2 – 3 Arsenal FC
02/24 2022 – Arsenal FC 2 – 1 Wolverhampton
02/19 2022 – Arsenal FC 2 – 1 Brentford
Aston Villa – Arsenal Direct comparison / H2H balance
Head to head: 69 – 45 – 84
There have been a total of 198 meetings between the two teams so far and with 84 wins, the majority of all duels have gone to the Gunners, who also won the first leg 3-1 on October 22, 2021. However, the Lions have won the last two Premier League away games at Villa Park, beating Arsenal 1-0 on each occasion.
Aston Villa – Arsenal Tip
When it comes to Aston Villa vs Arsenal, the prediction goes in the direction of the Londoners, who have won five of their last six league games and have also recorded four away wins in a row in the Premier League recently. However, this is offset by the momentum of the Lions, who have been on a roll of late under Philippe Coutinho, winning three of their last four league games without conceding a goal.
A correspondingly close match with an unclear outcome is to be expected, in which both teams are likely to initially focus on defense. Because it has always been close and low-scoring between the two teams, betting on a maximum of one team scoring makes the most sense.
