Aston Villa secured all three points away at West Ham in their opening game of the new season but face a much tougher task at home to Arsenal in Saturday's late kick-off.
The Gunners beat Wolves 2-0 to get their campaign off to a perfect start but know they will have to be at their best to beat Aston Villa this weekend.
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Aston Villa vs Arsenal prediction: Away win on the cards?
Key Stats
- Aston Villa have lost four of their last six matches in all competitions.
- Over 2.5 goals have been scored in three of the hosts' last six outings.
- Three of Arsenal's last five fixtures have witnessed at least three goals.
Correct score prediction: Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal
Aston Villa have only failed to score in one of their last six games against Arsenal, but four of those head-t0-heads have ended in defeat for the Midlands club.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Arsenal the bookmaker's pick
- HOME: 17/5 (4.40) – 22.7%
- DRAW: 29/10 (3.90) – 25.6%
- AWAY: 17/20 (1.85) – 54.1%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Arsenal are the expected winner of this game with a probability of 54.1%, and we tend to agree with the bookmakers on this selection.
You can find all our predictions for today's games on our football betting tips page.
Most recent H2Hs: Arsenal in front
The Gunners have win three and lost two of their last five games against Saturday's hosts but Aston Villa did secure the domestic double against Arsenal last season.
England Premier League 14/04/24
Arsenal
Aston Villa
England Premier League 09/12/23
Aston Villa
Arsenal
England Premier League 18/02/23
Aston Villa
Arsenal
England Premier League 31/08/22
Arsenal
Aston Villa
England Premier League 19/03/22
Aston Villa
Arsenal
Aston Villa preview: Left it late against West Ham
Aston Villa got off to a flying start away at West Ham as new signing Amadou Onana headed the visitors in front after just four minutes.
The teams went in level at the break after West Ham converted a 37th-minute penalty but a late goal from Jhon Duran won the game for Aston Villa.
Boubacar Kamara, Tyrone Mings and Robin Olsenall look set to miss the Arsenal game through injury.
Predicted lineup: Martínez (GK), Digne, Torres, Konsa, Cash, McGinn, Tielemans, Bailey, Onana, Watkins & Rogers
England Premier League 31/08/24
W
Leicester
1
Aston Villa
2
England Premier League 24/08/24
L
Arsenal
2
Aston Villa
0
England Premier League 17/08/24
W
West Ham
1
Aston Villa
2
Elite Club Friendlies 10/08/24
L
Borussia Dortmund
2
Aston Villa
0
Elite Club Friendlies 07/08/24
W
Athletic Bilbao
2
Aston Villa
3
Arsenal preview: Never looked like losing against Wolves
Arsenal were in good form on the opening weekend of the new season as they beat Wolves 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
Kai Havertz opened the scoring in the 25th minute after good work from Bukayo Saka and the England international doubled the Gunners' lead in the 74th minute, this time Havertz was the provider.
Mikel Arteta could be without Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Fabio Vieira for the trip to Villa Park due to injury.
Predicted lineup: Raya (GK), Zinchenko, Gabriel, White, Saliba, Partey, Ødegaard, Rice, Havertz, Saka & Martinelli
TEST Fixtures 05/09/24
D
Man City
0
Arsenal
0
England Premier League 31/08/24
D
Brighton
1
Arsenal
1
England Premier League 24/08/24
W
Aston Villa
0
Arsenal
2
England Premier League 17/08/24
W
Wolverhampton
0
Arsenal
2
TEST Fixtures 16/08/24
D
Man Utd
0
Arsenal
0
Player to watch – Kai Havertz
There have been doubts as to whether Kai Havertz will ever score enough goals for Arsenal to guide his team to the Premier League title.
The midfielder turned striker scored 14 times in all competitions last season, 13 of which were in the Premier League but the Gunners really need a 20+ goal a season striker leading the line.
Claimed a goal and an assist against Wolves
The German international is doing a very good job for Arteta's side as we saw against Wolves when Havertz scored one and created the other in a 2-0 victory.
We're backing Havertz to put in another impressive performance against Aston Villa this weekend, helping to guide his team to what could prove to be an important three points.
